Hero
by Point of Reason
Summary: Something was wrong. That’s why Edward had come. Her love was unrequited, after all. ExB AU: crossover between SpiderMan and Twilight. Constructive criticism needed. Chapter EIGHTEEN up. Over 10,087 hits.
1. Notes

I think that the previous foreward or author's note or whatever you wanna call it was misleading.

YES, it's a crossover between Spider-Man and Twilight, but NO it's not Spider-Man, and NO it's not Twilight.

It's MY original plot with slight references to Spider-Man and Twilight characters - in all honesty, I could have done this without the Twilight characters, but I love this book too darn much to do that. XD

So perhaps that clarifies things a bit?

I hope so!

Happy reading!  
--Mel


	2. Take It Back

Chapter One  
_Take It Back_

The mornings in Forks were all the same – foggy, dreary, and more like dusk than dawn. Every morning was the same for Edward Cullen. His alarm clock went off and he hit the snooze button two or three times before finally conceding to wake-up. He'd take a shower and then put on his black, plastic framed glasses, pull a shirt over his head, and then his converse sneakers. Edward would then run down the stairs to grab an apple or a granola bar or some other poor excuse for a breakfast, kiss his mother's cheek, wish his dad a good day, and bolt out the door to catch the bus. Usually, he only just got to the end of his driveway in time. Edward would ascend the stairs leading to the bus aisle, and the day's first challenge would face him – where to sit.

Edward didn't exactly have many friends. It wasn't that he wasn't a likeable person, but every time he tried to carry a conversation with someone, they'd realize that his IQ was much higher than their own. It seemed he could not manage to dumb down his words enough for the students at Forks High School, earning him the label: geek. Whenever this label was thrown at him, however, Edward merely shrugged it off. He would rather be a geek and successful someday than be a fool and end up scrounging change out of public water fountains.

Edward scanned the bus for empty seats, but, as usual, there were none. Today was slightly different, however. His eyes fell upon a boy about halfway back. He was sitting alone and had headphones in his ears. He had long black hair, swept back into a ponytail on the nape of his neck, and his skin was russet colored rather than the paleness that everyone in Forks seemed to possess. He was a new kid from up at the Indian reservation La Push. Edward smiled and made his way to that seat.

"Hey, do you mind if I sit here?" he asked, gesturing to the empty space beside the boy. The boy looked up at Edward with dark eyes and smiled, shaking his head. Edward took the seat and held a hand out.

"Edward Cullen," he introduced, smiling at the prospect of a friend.

"Jacob Black," the boy replied, shaking Edward's hand.

"You're new?"

"Yeah, I used to go to private school, but my dad wanted me to give public school a shot."

"Well, Forks High isn't so bad. There're a lot of stereotypical teenagers, but you get used to it." Jacob nodded, putting his iPod away.

"I've noticed. It seems like you need to find your clique and stick to it, eh?"

Edward chuckled. "Exactly."

Edward spent the rest of the bus ride telling Jacob which jocks he needed to watch out for, which hallways to avoid at which periods, and which girls were completely and totally off limits – no matter _how_ much they flirted with you.

He was very excited at the prospect of having someone who was actually intelligent as a friend. He learned that Jacob had not been feeling challenged enough in his old school, and that he was enrolled in almost every advanced placement class that Forks offered. He learned that his father, Billy Black, owned a company – Black and Co. – that researched ability enhancing electronics and machines. On the whole, Edward thought that his day was starting off very well.

But it was only starting off well.

It was halfway through third period calculus that his name was called over the loudspeaker. The office wanted him to come down and see them. Edward ignored the "Ooooohs!" and jeers of his peers as he stood and gathered his things and Mr. Varner wrote him a hall pass. He ignored the crumpled balls of paper whizzing past his ears as he strode to the front of the room to collect said hall pass. And as soon as the door had shut behind him, he broke into a jog to get to the office sooner.

He opened the door and saw Ms. Cope sitting at her desk, looking troubled. She'd heard him come in, but she did not look up from the computer screen she was staring at blankly. Edward came over and put his pass in the bin, clearing his throat.

"You wanted to see me?" he addressed the woman when he could see that she was not going to stir from her trance.

"Yes… Edward, you had better sit down."

Slightly alarmed by the defeated tone Ms. Cope was using, Edward obliged, taking a seat in the cushioned chair across from the front desk.

Ms. Cope was a frail woman, not over fifty-seven years of age. She wore glasses that magnified her eyes by at least three times, and she plucked her eyebrows so much that there was hardly any eyebrow there. Her lipstick was always cracked whenever Edward saw her, and she always wore bizarre clothes with flamboyant colors. Today she wore a neon yellow silk shirt and a lime green necktie, both of which clashed horribly with her magenta lipstick.

"Edward," she sighed. "There's… been an accident…"

Edward frowned at her words.

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Edward, but your mother and father… they're gone."

Silence. It was an uncomfortable silence. All the classes were still going on, so there was no one in the hallway, no muffled happy voiced headed off to lunch, no rustling of papers or other possessions… only the tick of the clock. The silence raged onward, causing an uncomfortable pressure to form on Edward's ears. Gone? How could they be gone? He'd just seen them this morning, kissed his mother on her porcelain cheek. How could something have happened?

Ms. Cope seemed to read the incomprehension on Edward's face. "There was a gas leak…" and Edward understood. She need say no more. Edward's smoker of a father had killed himself and his mother. He was probably just lighting up for his morning nicotine fix, and suddenly the whole kitchen imploded upon them.

If he'd thought understanding what had happened would make him feel better, though, he was sorely mistaken. Now that he knew what happened, he only felt anger at himself. Why hadn't he smelled the gas? Edward was a smart guy, but what was the point of being smart if it didn't help anyone? He could have saved them. He could have done it… but he'd been in such a rush this morning. Edward was in a rush every morning. If he'd just woken up on time…

But he had to cease scolding himself, as Ms. Cope was talking again.

"…because you're not of legal age yet. So we'll send you right over to your aunt and uncle's house, all right, sweetie? They'll take care of you and get you whatever you need. We've already talked to them, they've got room for you. I'm really, very sorry for you loss, Edward. If you'd like to go to your aunt and uncle's house now, that's fine…" but Edward shook his head.

"I'll finish the school day. Thanks, Ms. Cope," he said, and he stood up and trudged back to his math classroom.

Edward wasn't exactly sure _why_ he wasn't going home, but he knew that the last thing he wanted was to be alone right now. That or smothered by questions and sympathy from his aunt and uncle.

Dead. His parents were dead. It was almost too unbelievable. It was insane to think that they were tangible mere hours ago, and now they were blown to smithereens. It wasn't practical that they were dead. But they were.

Edward was still on his way back to the math classroom when the bell signifying fourth period lunch sounded, causing the doors around him to swing open and students to pour out into the hallway. Edward immediately changed his course of direction and headed for the cafeteria.

He was going to live with his cousins. Emmett and Alice were nice enough, but they were associated with the "popular" crowd. He was sure that his living with them would threaten their social status, and for that they would resent him.

Edward made his way to his usual, lonely table at the back of the cafeteria. There were usually two other people there – also outcast – but Edward never talked to them. One was constantly glancing over his shoulders and his eyes never ceased movement – paranoia. The other could not even speak English – he was from Croatia or some other European country. So Edward kept to himself at lunch, too. But today was different. He spotted Jacob and waved him over, a half-hearted smile on his face.

"What's up, man?" Jacob could tell something was wrong. It was incredible how much that kid picked up on.

"N- nothing," Edward replied. He didn't need to bore Jacob with his sob story. "How was your first day?"

Jacob smiled. "It was… great. There's this girl in my English class. She's the nicest person I met all day."

Edward looked at his friend cautiously. "Who?" He didn't want Jacob to get his hopes up for a girl that was off-limits.

"Isabella Swan?" And she was most certainly off limits.

Isabella Swan – Bella, as she preferred. The girl had lived next to Edward's aunt and uncle for as long as he could remember. Ever since he was a small boy, his family and he had gone over to Uncle Carlisle's for Christmas and Easter dinner. Bella and her father would join them, for they had no other family and Carlisle and Esme refused to let them spend their holidays alone. Emmett, Alice, Bella, and Edward would wander into the woods after dinner, playing games like cops and robbers and hide and go seek.

It was during one of those games that Bella slipped into the river.

It had been Christmas and the water was icy cold. Bella had been ten-years-old and noticed a wonderful hiding spot right on the bank of the river. She was on her way over to the bundle of sticks and logs but she lost her footing on a slimy, algae covered rock. Bella's head went under the water, and if Edward had not been close enough to hear her gasps for help while the current tugged her along, who knows what would have happened? But the fact of the matter was that he _did_ hear Bella, and he took off at once, sprinting to the edge of the water.

The current continued to drag Bella downstream, heading for the rapids. Bella would surely have drowned if Edward had not leaped in after her. He may have been ten, but he was still strong. Edward swam with the current until finally reaching out and grabbing Bella's hand. She clutched his in return and pulled herself over to cling to his side. Edward fought the current now, kicking and stroking with all his might. Finally, he reached the riverbank, Bella still hugging his side like a possum baby. Gasping, he collapsed onto the riverbed.

"Are you… okay?" he asked between breaths.

Bella looked up at him with naïve, admiring eyes. "You're my _hero_!" she exclaimed, planting a kiss on his cheek.

Edward flushed and helped Bella to her feet, running with her back to the house so that they could get warmed up. The winter air was cutting through their cold clothing, and if they did not get inside soon they'd die of hypothermia.

Bella had held Edward's heart ever since that day. But the feeling was, apparently, not mutual.

As soon as elementary school was over, Bella and Edward's friendship drifted. And all through middle school, Bella tried her damnedest to become one of the popular girls. She succeeded.

And at the beginning of this year, she started her relationship with vile Mike Newton, the biggest jerk in the entire school. Edward could only watch from afar as Newton enjoyed the kisses that Edward so longed for…

"Bella Swan's taken," Edward told Jacob, and his friend lowered his eyes, obviously sharing the disappointment that Edward felt.

"Hey, Edward…" came a new voice. Edward recognized the voice; it was one he'd grown up with. But the surprise he felt at being addressed by this voice in public was immeasurable. "I heard about your parents… I'm really, _really_ sorry."

It was his cousin Alice. She'd come over, with Emmett, to the table, and Edward could barely stifle the gasp that rose to his lips as she wrapped her arms around him in comfort. And, suddenly, the sadness was overbearing.

The hug seemed to be the reality. This friendly gesture from Alice was the true wake-up call that Edward's parents were dead. He blinked his eyes rapidly, trying not to cry in front of Emmett, his burly cousin. It wouldn't be manly to cry in front of him. But no matter how fiercely he blinked; he couldn't stop the sob that ripped from his chest.

And to Edward's ever-increasing surprise, Emmett clapped him on the back.

"C'mon, Ed. You'll be all right. I mean you get to live with us now! That'll be cool, right?" Edward gritted his teeth, trying to face Emmett with an unbroken face. Trying to be the same kind of man that his cousin was. He nodded once before reaching up and removing his glasses so that he could rub his eyes fiercely and remove any trace of tears.

"Thanks," he mumbled to his cousins. And to his immense astonishment, they did not leave. They, instead, sat at the table with Edward, Jacob, foreign-kid, and schizoid, continuing to support their cousin in his time of need, regardless of who was looking.

* * *

But the thing was, _everyone_ was looking. The word of Edward's parents' death got around really fast, and everyone was looking around to see the guy's reaction. Over at the popular kids' table, Jasper and Rosalie Hale were glaring across the cafeteria at Edward as if he'd stolen their lovers on purpose. Jasper and Alice had been dating since her freshman year, and Rosalie and Emmett since they were sophomores. Jessica Stanley was wondering if this meant that Edward would be sitting with them from now on, and Mike Newton was too busy trying to get Bella to agree to go to a party with him tonight to pay any attention to Edward Cullen.

Bella, on the other hand, was barely listening to Mike. She looked over his shoulder at poor Edward. His _parents_ had just died, why was he still here, in school? He should've gone home, but for some reason he hadn't. Bella's best friend Alice was talking to Edward, and Emmett was looking down at his miserable form, somewhat uncomfortably. Then Bella noticed Jacob Black, from her English class, sitting at the table looking thoroughly confused.

Bella sighed, trying to turn her attention back to Mike. If only Edward had asked her to the fifth grade dance. But he hadn't, so she figured that he surely wasn't interested and went with Lee Stephens, instead. Bella wondered how different her life might have been if Edward _had_ asked her to the dance. She knew he was a bit… antisocial… but she still kind of had a thing for him. Ever since he pulled her out of that river by Alice's house. He'd saved her. And she had really seen him for the first time.

Bella stabbed at her salad with her fork. "No, Mike, it's a school night. You know my dad doesn't let me go out on school nights," she lied, trying to get Mike to shut up for once in his life…

* * *

"Mr. Black?"

Billy grunted to show he was listening. He had been bent over his work for hours, trying to perfect the mechanics of how a spider's legs moved. If he could master that ability, there were limitless ways in which that could be used as a beneficial machine…

"We've finished the prototype," Sam Uley announced proudly. Billy sat up straight and looked at Sam excitedly.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Let's test it!"

Sam's face grew concerned. "But, sir, I'm not sure it's ready to be tested. It's still only the prototype, and I don't know whether or not it's safe."

But Billy shook his head, wheeling his chair around the desk to move past Sam.

"Nonsense, I'll be fine. Come, Sam. I'll need your help."

The machine had been a work in progress for so long. Billy, specifically, had asked for his employees to make it. Ever since he lost his lower legs in the war, Billy's only want was to walk like a normal person again. He'd tried and tried to find a way to do it with prosthetic legs, but it was impossible. The legs would not move, but merely collapse under his weight. He'd received some unfortunate injuries from such attempts at normality.

But Billy didn't come to own a corporation by giving up. No, he was sure he could find a way to walk again, if only he had the right _mechanics_. So he dreamt up the Land Legs Two Thousand. Mechanic legs with every joint and muscle synthesized. The machine would attach to the nerve endings where Billy's legs ended, and run up through to the brain so that he could move his legs without even thinking about it. It was ingenious, and very dangerous.

As Billy lay down upon the surgeon's table, he couldn't help but feel overly excited. He was about to walk again for the first time in twenty years. The suspense was killing him, and he barked instructions to the surgeon.

"Sedate me."

And as Billy fell into blackness, his only thoughts were of how when he woke up he'd be able to walk.


	3. Disarm

Chapter Two  
_Disarm_

It was a strange thing for Edward to ride in a car on the way home from school rather than walk through the puddles or take the school bus. But here he was, sitting in a blue Kia Spectra with Alice and Emmett in the front seats.

"I hope you don't mind, Edward. But we carpool with our next door neighbor, Bella Swan, every other day, so we've gotta wait for her and Mike to get their asses out of the school," Alice announced, rolling her eyes.

"I don't mind," Edward replied, almost too quickly. Alice cocked an eyebrow at him, but turned her head, letting the subject drop.

Bella Swan was going to get into this car in a few short minutes. She was going to be crammed in the backseat with Edward and Mike Newton. Things were about to get either very tense, or very interesting.

After what seemed like forever, the main entrance opened and a joyous Mike Newton exited the school with a profusely giggling Bella Swan in tow. His hand was around hers, and he seemed to be yanking her along with over-exaggerated effort. Edward sighed. Why couldn't he be normal, like Mike? He was always at ease, always flirting, and always laid back. It seemed like Mike put no effort into his unquestionably high social status. It looked as if just because he was on the Forks' lacrosse team, he needn't try.

Edward, on the other hand, tried very hard in school. He strived for those top grades and actually achieved his goals. His father had always told him that he needed to put school before everything in his life. And maybe one day, he could work for the locally famous Black and Company. Maybe one day, he could have his _own_ corporation.

Edward's resentful thoughts towards Mike Newton were interrupted as he opened the door for Bella to sidle in.

"Oh!" he said in surprise, "Hey, Cullen. Yo, man, I'm sorry 'bout your folks. Shit happens, right?"

Edward smiled weakly and scooted to the other side of the car to make room for the couple. Bella slipped in on his right, and then Mike on her right. The back seat was suddenly very cramped, and Edward found himself trying with all his might not to touch Bella. She was probably cringing inside at the thought of having to sit so close to a loser like him.

Despite his efforts to keep himself from Bella's slim frame, the backseat of the Spectra was nowhere near roomy, and the car ride was spent feeling the warmth of Bella's body on his own, breathing the smell of her strawberry shampoo, and trying to ignore it all and pass it off as nothing more than a cramped car ride. Edward tried not to notice how much space Bella could make if she'd just keep her knees together, but she didn't. She let them fall apart so that her leg in its entirety was touching Edward's.

Emmett was fiddling with the tuning on the radio, while Alice huffed her annoyance at him. At a stoplight, however, she turned to face Edward with a suddenly very serious look upon her face.

"You… don't wanna… you know, go look at the house or anything, right?" Her eyes were sympathetic but it was obvious she had no interest in it. Edward _did_ want to go, though. He was sickly curious to see what was left of his house and if any of his possessions were salvageable. Although, if the gas had been leaking for as long as Ms. Cope said it had been, Edward was sure that the only thing left of his house was charred rubble.

For Alice's sake, Edward shook his head and looked back out the window. She let out what sounded like a sigh of relief and turned back to the road, just in time for the light to turn green.

The drive to Edward's aunt and uncle's house was much longer than he'd remembered. Or, perhaps, he was just consciously aware of how much he liked Bella touching him. Or even subconsciously dreading the sympathetic embraces that his aunt and uncle were waiting with. Regardless of the reason, the ride seemed excruciatingly lengthy. Emmett had finally settled on an old _Smashing Pumpkins_ song. Edward tried to focus on the lyrics, but they only made him feel worse.

_Disarm you with a smile  
__And cut you like you want me to  
__Cut that little child  
__Inside of me and such a part of you  
__Ooh, the years burn…_

Edward sighed resignedly and pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the window.

"Are you okay?"

The voice was so perfect, so musical, so concerned that Edward was sure she could not be talking to him. Nevertheless, he looked to his right, into the warm, brown eyes of Bella Swan. Their gaze was locked for a moment, and Edward was sure he was feeling some kind of electricity passing between them in that instant. He forced himself to break eye contact and looked back out the window muttering, "I'm fine," under his breath.

He didn't know why he was getting his hopes up. Bella seemed perfectly content with Mike Newton for a boyfriend. Just because Edward had feelings for her did not in any way mean that she might possibly return them. It was better to just distance himself from her and try to find something else to keep his mind occupied on.

The opportunity presented itself almost as soon as they reached Alice and Emmett's house. Uncle Carlisle and Aunt Esme were waiting on the front porch for Edward to arrive, looks of utmost sympathies plastered on their faces.

"Yo, Em, we'll hang out another day, 'kay? I don't wanna get in the way of any family stuff…" Mike was pulling Bella out of his side of the car, toward her house.

"Alright, man, see you tomorrow," Emmett replied.

_Perfect,_ Edward thought. He was already beginning to take away from Emmett and Alice's usual social activities.

"Yeah, Alice. Sorry, but I don't think we should go shopping today. Maybe tomorrow…" Bella seemed to scrunch her nose up, slightly as she said this, and Edward worked to suppress a grin. Obviously Bella was not a clone of the rest of the Barbie-girls that she hung out with.

"Yeah, tomorrow…" Alice assured her.

"You don't have to change your plans for me," Edward assured them, looking nervously at his cousin's reactions.

"Don't be silly, Edward," Alice scoffed. "Shopping's not all that important right now, anyway."

Emmett mocked a surprised face and looked at Mike, pointing at his sister incredulously. "Did she seriously just say that?" He asked Mike.

Mike smirked, "Yes, Emmett, I think she did. Our little Alice is growing up!"

"Shut up!" Alice cried, punching Emmett's arm. He laughed, but when Alice wasn't looking rubbed his bicep where she'd hit it.

Edward flashed a half-hearted smile at his cousins before turning toward the porch to march up to his blatantly concerned aunt and uncle.

"Edward… Oh, honey! Are you all right?"

For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Edward answered, "I'm fine," and tried to look into his aunt's overly warm eyes to show her that he meant it.

"Edward, we're truly sorry…" Edward's Uncle Carlisle muttered, something looking suspiciously like tears rolling down his face. "I can't believe… I can't believe Elizabeth's gone…"

And suddenly Edward felt very cruel and selfish. Certainly he was not the only one who was grieving. Carlisle had just lost his sister, Emmett and Alice their aunt and uncle… He felt very foolish for assuming that everything was changing just for him.

"You know," Aunt Esme said gently. "Edward has exactly the same shade of eyes as Elizabeth, Carlisle. I'm sure her spirit lives on through him…" Edward worked furiously hard not to roll his eyes.

There was no spirit. Only death. Blackness. Nothing more. Once one is dead, they were no longer capable of any kind of emotion or feeling. They were simply gone. Dead.

"Right, well," Uncle Carlisle muttered, wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "We need to make, er, funeral arrangements." His face twisted into a grimace as he said this.

"I'll take care of it, dear. You just go get some rest…"

Carlisle gave his wife an appreciative look before turning into the house and heading up the stairs.

"Thank you," Edward murmured.

"For what?" Aunt Esme asked, looking startled.

"For taking me in. Thank you. I know I'll probably uproot your entire lives, but I'll try not to be too much of a burden…"

"Oh, Edward, please! You will not be a burden, and it will be utterly lovely to have you with us," Aunt Esme's tone was so sincere that Edward didn't argue. He was sure he would be a burden – more to clean, more to feed, and more to pay for. But what could he do? Living on the streets was hardly an option. And, so, for the time being, he would remain at the mansion that belonged to Carlisle and Esme Cullen.

* * *

When Billy awoke from the surgery, he was staring up into a blindingly white light. He immediately tried to eclipse the radiance with his hand, but realized that he could not move it. When he tried to talk, he could not speak. In fact, Billy Black could not even breathe.

_I'm dead_, he thought, _I must be dead._

"Billy? Billy?! He's awake! He's awake!" Professor Sam Uley's voice was frantic, and suddenly Billy felt a tingling, ripping sensation prying at his lips, a hot iron feeling in his jaw muscles, and then the weight of what seemed like an anvil on his chest. His lungs shattered to life, and he took a deep, shuddering breath, relishing the oxygen.

"Oh, Mr. Black, thank God! We thought you were gone, we thought-" But Sam Uley's words were cut short when a hand seized him around the neck.

There were shouts that seemed to be coming from a far away place, and Billy vaguely felt hands trying to pry his own from around Professor Uley's neck.

Billy pulled Sam's face towards his own until their eyes were inches apart.

"What has happened to me?" he rasped in little more than a whisper, eyes bulging as Sam Uley gagged and gasped for air.

An unexplained feeling of disgust overtook Billy, and he threw Sam away from him with strength he didn't know he had, sending him crashing into a table of test tubes and chemicals.

And then, Billy stood.

* * *

The funeral had been a quiet procession with a small selection of guests – close family friends and relatives. As there were no bodies, there was no wake, and a prayer was said in front of two memorial stones because of the lack of coffins to bury. Edward had remained strong, holding a grimly impassive expression on his face until all of the guests had left for the reception, at which time he let his lips quiver and a tear roll down his cheek.

The weather seemed fitting for the dismal mood that hovered over Edward's head. Then again, the weather always seemed fitting for a bleak mood in Forks. The drizzle emitting from the dark clouds that covered the sky seemed to represent the tears shed over the loss of Elizabeth and Robert Cullen. Edward was about to turn to leave, when a figure joined him at the side of his parents' memorials.

"I can't imagine how you feel right now." Bella. "I mean, I lost my mom when I was very young. But… I still had Charlie. I don't know what I'd do… where I'd _be_ if I lost them both… If… if you ever need anyone to talk to – I'm here."

Edward did not remove his eyes from the dates on the stones as he nodded. "Thank you. It… means a lot. More than you know."

Finally he looked up to see Bella staring at him intently. Her eyes were swimming with sympathetic tears, and her mahogany brown hair was becoming damp from the consistent mist that seemed set on coming from the sky. Hesitantly, it seemed, she reached an arm around his shoulder and gave him a quick squeeze. Nothing more than a friendly, reassuring hug, Edward told himself. She was just being nice.

"Hey," she started, "do you need a ride home? Everyone's left already… I… didn't even expect to see you here." Edward started to wonder why she had returned in the first place, but she answered his question without being asked. "I was going to visit my mother's grave…"

Edward nodded, comprehension dawning on him. "No. I don't need a ride home. I… I think I'll walk."

Bella looked at him, skeptically. "In this weather? C'mon, Edward, you're right next-door now. You're on the way!"

But as tempting as the offer was, Edward declined again. "I just… need to be alone for right now."

It was Bella's turn to understand now. She nodded and was about to turn away before she added, "Seriously. If you ever need to talk… don't hesitate to call. Please." And she whipped around to search for her beloved mother's grave.

Edward stared after her for a moment before turning himself to start the long walk home.

xxxxxxx

The streets were wet, but the road Edward was walking on was fairly secluded. As his feet sloshed through puddles and mud, he couldn't help but regret not taking Bella up on her offer for a ride. But it was too late, now. Besides, he only had a mile or so left to walk, anyway.

The darkness falling around him was becoming eerie, and Edward shuddered involuntarily. He had the ever-increasing suspicion that he was being watched…

Edward looked around him, glancing into the trees with caution. He promptly wished he were buffer so that he could fight off any muggers or killers that might try to jump him. Then he frowned at himself for his paranoia – he was becoming more and more like the schizoid at his lunch table every day!

But almost as soon as he scoffed at the thought of someone attacking him, a dark figure jumped out of the trees and knocked him flat on his back.

Edward's head cracked against the concrete of the road, and he immediately felt dizzy and dazed. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but then he felt a stinging sensation in his neck, the warm trickle of blood following that. At first, that was all he felt, and he thought it was over. But then, he realized he must have been poisoned. For no drug, no tranquilizer, nothing could ever have been _this_ excruciatingly painful. It was as though each of his blood cells in turn were igniting in flames, just as his parents had died. Edward tried to scream in pain, tried to writhe from the agony that now coursed through him, but the weight of whoever was on top of him kept him still.

And then, there was a flash of light and the sound of a car honking. Edward tried to cry for help, but the words were stuck in his throat.

"What the-?! Edward? Is that you? Are you all right? Edward?" He must have been dying, because even distorted with worry, as it was, that voice was so melodic, so angelic, it _had_ to belong to Bella Swan or an angel, itself.

"Edward?"

Edward could feel himself slipping into blackness, sure that he was dying. Now he would know what it was _really_ like to die…

And the last thing he heard before going under was the roar of an ambulance's siren.


	4. My Beautiful Rescue

Chapter Three  
_My Beautiful Rescue _

_I've been jumping from the tops of buildings  
For the thrill of the fall ignoring sound advice  
And any thought of consequence  
My bones have shattered  
My pride is shattered  
And in the midst of this self inflicted pain  
I can see my beautiful rescue_

Jacob Black returned to his empty mansion on the outskirts of town around ten o'clock that evening. He had been to Edward's parents' funeral, and he'd felt very, _very_ awkward in the midst of so many grieving strangers. He had merely gone to support Edward, but, to his great aggravation, had not seen his friend during the whole four hours he'd been there. It wasn't _that_ big of a deal, actually, because he spent a good amount of the time talking to Bella Swan from his third period English class. They'd actually had a lot of fun talking, and even exchanged numbers and e-mails. She was really a very beautiful girl, and he wished in vain that she weren't taken.

Jacob sighed, hoping that the maid had left something good to eat in the oven. On his way through the foyer to the kitchen, however, Jacob saw the answering machine blinking. Curious, he went over to check the messages.

There were four, which was an unusually high number for the home phone. No one ever called his father here; they usually called on his cell. But the number was clear in all its digital glory, four lines construing the "four," illuminated in green.

Jacob pressed the button to hear the messages.

The first was the very calm, slow voice of Sam Uley. "Billy? It's Sam, and if you're there, pick up. I've got wonderful news that I'm sure you'll be very pleased to hear…" silence. "Oh, never mind. You're probably in your office, anyway, right? I'll come over in person…"

So Sam had been here, Jacob speculated. He'd always liked Sam. A family friend for years, Sam had been one of the original investors in Black and Company, he'd babysat Jacob for Billy when Jake was only six, and he'd asked Billy to be the best man at his and Emily's wedding. Jacob liked Sam – looked up to him as an older brother.

The second message was slightly more confusing.

"Mr. Black? Billy? God, Billy, what the fuck happened, today? Where did you go? You left your cell phone here… Well… call me when you get in or get this or whichever comes first."

Jacob looked at the machine in confusion. Had his father not returned home yet, or just not checked the machine? Before panic could sweep Jacob up, the next message started to play.

"Jacob? It's Bella Swan! I was driving home, and… oh my God, Jacob, something terrible has happened to Edward! I don't know what's wrong with him! Call me when you get this, please!"

Jacob's face was utterly blank from all the emotions he'd just felt. The initial jubilance from the sound of Bella's soft voice, the panic he'd felt when she said something had happened to Edward, and the hint of jealousy at her concern for Edward. He tried to compose himself enough to make sense of the last message.

"Jake, it's me again. I just wanted to let you know that Edward's in the hospital. I'm here, too, and we're in room B203. It's like, nine-thirty, and… Um… if you get this before visiting hours are over, you should probably come down. It's… pretty bad. I'll see you later, hopefully. 'Bye."

Any tinge of jealousy previously held for Edward vanished as this message finished. Jacob wondered what on earth had happened that was so horrible. Nonetheless, he pulled his jacket back on and grabbed his car keys from off the hook, taking off through the door to go see what had happened to his friend.

* * *

Edward lay in the hospital bed, unmoving and unconscious. Bella sat next to him, still in her funeral attire, clashing horribly with the room of white.

It always unnerved Bella to be in hospitals, ever since she was little. The smell of blood, death, and grieving that clung to the atmosphere gave her the willies, and she'd always associated the white rooms with that discomfiting feeling. And yet, here she was, sitting next to Edward Cullen's cot in the little hospital of Forks. Why, she was not sure.

It had been a scary experience. Bella had been driving down the road, singing to a song by _This Providence_.

She'd turned a sharp left extra slowly because of the rain when she'd seen the disconcerting sight.

Edward was lying motionless and unbreathing on the ground, his skin paperwhite and blood oozing out of a wound in his neck and where his head seemed to have hit the pavement. The blood drained from her face, and Bella slammed on the break, impulsively honking the horn. As she did so, however, Edward's chest rose in a gasp of air, and relief practically drowned Bella. She leapt from the car, calling to him.

_Stand up,_ she pleaded with no one in particular. _Please, stand up. Walk away, just stand up and walk away from this, please…_

But even as she silently pleaded, Edward's breathing seemed to get slower and shallower. Bella quickly reached for her phone and dialed 911, her fingers flying over the keys.

"911, what is your emergency?" came a cool, female voice over the line.

Temporarily forgetting the emergency phonecall as Edward stirred, Bella sighed in relief before addressing him again. "Edward?"

"Ma'am?" The impatience was becoming ominous in the woman's voice. She thought this was a joke.

"Oh, yes, um. I'm on Burlington Road, I- I think there's been an accident."

"Is an ambulance required?"

"Yes."

The line went dead, and Bella only hoped that meant one was coming.

When the men in white had taken Edward away, Bella followed in her car, lying to the secretary and telling her she was Edward's cousin so that she could follow him into the room. Normally, Bella was sure, Edward's uncle, Carlisle, would have tended to him, as he worked in the hospital. But today, he had taken off for a funeral that had felt like it'd taken place years ago, rather than a few hours.

The doctor that _did_ take care of Edward was constantly scuffling around to the other side of the bed, mumbling to himself all the while. It became very agitating. It seemed he'd finally reached his verdict as he straightened up.

"Well, he may have a concussion…" his voice trailed. Bella waited. When he didn't continue, she practically jumped on him and ripped out the little hair he had left.

"_And?_" she hissed through gritted teeth.

The doctor flushed, looking flustered, and addressed his keyboard when he continued. "And… we're not sure how he attained the wound on his neck. It… it looks almost as if someone _bit_ him, but there's no saliva to suggest that. I… I see no reason why he won't make a full recovery."

"But," Bella stopped the doctor as he turned to leave the room, "why is he unconscious?"

"Oh, well, um," he addressed the clipboard once again. "The head trauma that he's suffered may have caused him to slip into a submissive state of mind. Er," the doctor calculated Bella's confused look, "he's in a coma."

The words hit Bella so hard, it was as if she'd ran headlong into a brick wall. The doctor turned to leave, and Bella turned to sit next to the bed that Edward was laying on. He was hooked up to so many machines, it was hard to tell which were monitoring him, and which was the airconditioner, and his face was so white that it matched the white pillow, sheets, and walls of the room.

Bella didn't know what she was going to do. She'd tried calling the Cullen's house, but there'd been no answer. Besides, it was kind of late. If Carlisle and Esme had already hit the sack, she didn't exactly want to drag them out of bed after such a long, depressing day. Edward's watch beeped, signifying nine-thirty. The silence – besides the relentlessly beeping monitors – was overbearing, and Bella didn't know what to do. She finally decided to call Jacob Black. _He _had been at the funeral, too. He must've been friends with Edward, because Alice and Emmett had never mentioned him before. The machine picked up, and Bella left a message. After that process had been eliminated, she was restless again.Without anything else to do, Bella studied Edward.

It wasn't as if she _needed_ to try and memorize his near perfect facial features. She knew that face by heart, knew those eyes by heart, that voice… but she couldn't keep her eyes off him for long.

Bella stared at his long, angular nose and high cheekbones She longed to touch his unblemished skin and weave her hands throughout his bronze-colored, silky, smooth hair. And his eyes… even though they were closed right now, she could never forget the emerald green strands that colored his eyes, making them look like emeralds peeking out of the snow with his milky-white complexion.

Bella realized tears were rolling down her cheeks, and she promptly felt foolish. She had a boyfriend that worshipped the ground she walked on, and Edward barely said three words to her nowadays. Why was she sitting here, next to his lifeless form, pining for a boy that she could never have?

Speaking of which, Mike would kill her if he knew she was here. In the past hour, he'd called her six times, probably to ask how the funeral was. She'd tell him it was sad, and he'd say: "Want me to come over?" and she'd tell him no. He'd come anyway,find out she wasn't at home, and go into a jealous rage when she _did_ tell him where she was. So, Bella had simply not picked up the phone.

Mike was getting old, anyway. All he ever tried to do recently was get into Bella's pants. She'd always held him off, but how long was it going to be, now? How many more excuses could she make? Sure, there was _one_ excuse that that would put him off for about a week, but the other three of that month were constant foreplay for Mike Newton, and, quite frankly, Bella was getting sick of it.

And, even more lately than ever, Bella found her thoughts always on Edward, fantasizing about having _him_ as her boyfriend. It was in vain hope, though, as she was sure Edward never liked her. He'd had his chance – numerous chances. But he'd never acted upon them.

Bella sighed, gazing at his lifeless form, again. His features seemed even more perfect and pronounced than they had a moment ago. Bella frowned, now, deep in thought. She'd heard somewhere that if you talked to a coma patient – treated them like they weren't sleeping – that they were more likely to wake up.

"Well, Edward," she sighed. "Where to begin?"

* * *

The light came back, but the pain had not left. Paralyzed, Edward lay on the somehow comfortable and warm road. There was an obnoxious, steadily beeping noise, and a soft voice, murmuring things to him.

Edward wished he could turn his head toward the voice, maybe let his eyes open and look at the beautiful source from whence it came, but it felt as though every muscle in his body had been ripped to shreds, as though every bone had been shattered, as though each and every fiber of his body was on fire.

All that Edward could do was continue to breath, and even slowly at that, and try to concentrate on that voice from behind his black eyelids.

"…and I don't know what I want anymore, Edward. I mean, I knew I never really _wanted_ Mike, but he'd always _seemed_ like a nice guy. All he wants from me now, though, is sex, and it's not something I want to give him.

"And Jacob Black seems really nice. Honestly, half the time I wish I _wasn't_ friends with the people I'm friends with. I wish I could come over and sit at your lunch table instead of mine. It's beyond boring, let me tell you… I always have to listen to Emmett and Jasper talking about cars, and Mike is _always_ looking for someone to tell his latest _lacrosse_ story to. It's the most monotonous and predictable lunch table you could imagine.

"Actually, Edward, I've been thinking about you _a lot_ lately. More than is probably healthy, actually. Remember, that day? You saved me from drowning? Well… I don't know if you realized, but you saved me from that fate only to damn me to another." The angelic voice sighed, longingly. "You know, I may not have drowned in that river, but I certainly have drowned in you. Edward… Christ, I can't believe I'm about to say this… Edward, I think I love you."

The beeping on the monitors started to pick up the pace, beeping faster and faster until the rate at which they were moving sounded more like one long beep rather than many. In fact, Edward realized, it _was_ a flat line beep. And time seemed to slow down.

He was dead. Edward was dead. Here he was, lying in what seemed to be a hospital… dead. But, if he was dead… how could he feel the pain that was still coursing through him? How could he smell the urine on his clothes and the blood that was suddenly pouring out of his mouth? How could he hear Bella calling for help? Death was supposed to be like dreamless sleep, not an agonized existence. Had he done something wrong? Had he died wrong? He didn't see how that was possible. But death was the end and Edward was _positive_ that you were supposed to stop feeling. He must not truly be dead, then, he concluded. It was the only explanation. The machine had malfunctioned. Edward wanted to say something, reassure Bella, calm her down, tell her that her love was not unrequited, that he loved her, too, but the only thing that was coming out of his mouth was blood.

He felt hands all over him, and a shock of electricity went through his body. But the heart monitor stayed flatlined, even as he continued to bleed.

"Don't, Edward, don't leave. We need you here… don't leave…" Bella was sobbing, and suddenly, another voice joined the commotion.

"What's going on? What's happening?" the kind, husky voice of Edward's new best friend, Jacob Black, asked, also frantic.

"I don't know," came an unfamiliar voice. "I've never seen anything like this!"

Edward wanted to say something – anything – that would make them realize that he was, indeed, alive, but his jaw seemed locked and his throat felt raw, and the blood was still trickling down the side of his face, coming out of his nose, now, too.

"I'm sorry," came a deep voice. "Your brother is dead."

There was silence – aside from the screaming monitors and frantic murmurs of the surrounding doctors, all of whom were trying to bring Edward back.

And then he felt it. The worst pain he'd ever felt – heartbreak. Only it was not in the metaphorical term, this time. It felt as if his heart had been nothing but a glass bomb, and it exploded. Shards of glass were sent all throughout Edward's body, stabbing his lungs and making them fail, stabbing his kidnys and liver and stomach. Everything felt as though it was being deflated as his vital organs all ceased working.

Urine came out, again, proving that his bladder had failed, and if Edward would have had the chance to breathe through all the blood, he would not have been able to, for his lungs had collapsed. Edward wished with all his might that if everything was going to stop working, so would his Goddamned nerves so that this pain would all stop.

And it did.

Suddenly, Edward felt fine. Better than fine, he felt perfect. As if there'd never been any of the recent lapses of pain.

_Finally_, he thought. _I'm dead._

But when he opened his eyes, he was not dead. He seemed to be in a drawer – a very closed in space in which he felt as though his body would never fit. He was in the morgue.

Edward was naked, for which he was somewhat thankful. It would have been an awful thing to wake up in urine soaked clothes. Edward wondered how on earth he was going to get out of this morgue drawer. No one would hear him yell, and no one was going to open it any time soon.

And then, Edward felt it. A new fire had erupted within him – within his throat. A thirst unlike any he had ever known overtook Edward, and he didn't care what he had to do to get out of this drawer and drink the first liquid he could lay his hands on. No, scratch that. There was something Edward wanted, the only thing that could quench his thirst. But what, he did not know. Water didn't seem thick enough to put out this fire. No, Edward wanted something more than water.

But what?

And then, there were footsteps outside his secluded little drawer. They stopped right outside his, and a rustle of keys told Edward he was opening a drawer. Perhaps if he banged on the walls of this little compartment, whoever was out there would hear him.

Edward tried to get his arm up – to make a rukkus in this secluded cube – but the limited amount of space prevented him from making the noise he needed to be heard.

It made no difference, as a key slid into the lock and someone pulled open Edward's drawer.

"Ah, hello Edward. Good to see you're done changing," said a friendly voice with a slightly British accent. And Edward looked up into smiling, kindly, topaz eyes.


	5. The World Spins Madly On

**I have a picture of the new character in my profile, along with (finally) a picture of who I would cast as "Jocelyn Johnson" in "What Would The Neighbors Think?" so make sure you check that out.**

**Oliver Manning would be "played" by Jude Law. --melts--**

Chapter Four  
_The World Spins Madly On _

_Woke up and wished that I was dead  
With an aching in my head  
I lay motionless in bed  
I thought of you and where you'd gone  
and let the world spin madly on._

For a moment, all Edward could do was blink stupidly up at the unfamiliar man. He had dark, brown hair that was curly and cropped close to his head. His face was slim, with high cheekbones and a pale, white complexion. His eyes were kind and compassionate and a beautiful shade of honey gold that Edward had never seen before. He was also the most handsome person Edward had ever laid his eyes upon. Realizing his manners, Edward stopped staring and regained his composure. Sitting up, he shrugged on the white hospital gown that the man offered him and took his hand, shaking it tentatively.

"Who… who are you? What do you mean 'done changing'? What's happened to me?" Question after question bubbled to Edward's lips, but the man held up a hand signifying for Edward to stop, chuckling lightly all the while.

"So curious, so anxious to reach unwanted answers…" he muttered darkly to no one in particular.

Edward was going to argue that there was nothing he wanted _more_ than answers, but the words seemed to evaporate in the heat radiating from the back of his throat hand he merely coughed.

_He must be so thirsty…_Edward stared at the stranger in shock.

"How did you do that?"

"Do what?" asked the man, blatantly confused.

"Talk… without moving your lips… how did you do it?"

The man frowned for a moment, obviously thinking. _Can he hear me?_

"Yes!" Edward exclaimed.

_Ah. I'll have to be more careful of that…_and the words were immediately replaced by the tune of "Yankee-Doodle-Dandy".

"Stop. That's annoying," Edward tried to cover his ears, but the sound was as clear as ever.

_I'm afraid I can't stop _thinking, _Edward. I apologize._ Thinking? Was the man barking mad?

Edward simply stared at the stranger in new confusion, his face seeming to drain of emotion other than said bewilderment. "I can… hear… your…" he started, but the man, who appeared to be a doctor, cut him off.

"Well, are you thirsty?" he asked, pulling a plastic baggy of something red out of one of his pockets. "Here," he said, offering it to Edward.

Edward took it cautiously, gazing at it with a wary look. "What is it?" he asked, apprehensively.

The man merely smiled, knowingly, the sound of counting emanating from him. "Just open it," he suggested lightly.

Slowly, Edward undid the plastic zipper. As he did so, a heavenly scent wafted through the atmosphere and into his nostrils. He inhaled deeply, relishing the scent. Edward had never smelled such a tantalizing odor – sweet, sticky, succulent stenches arose from the baggy, making Edward feel even more dehydrated, and the desire to drink the beverage became uncontainable. _It must be some kind of honey,_ he concluded, sniffing the fluid once again. He stared at the pouch of gooey, scarlet fluid more apprehensively, now. As thirsty as Edward was – and as positive as he was that _this_ concoction would quench his thirst – he declined the offer, silently handing the plastic bag of unknown substance back to the surprised stranger in front of him.

"My mother always taught me not to take sweets from strangers," Edward notified the man, coldly. "Now why don't you explain to me what the hell is going on?"

The doctor seemed quite taken aback, but not because of the tone of which Edward had spoken to him in, but because of the sugary liquid that he had forced back into his hands.

_His control…_came the disembodied voice, the counting ceasing immediately. _It's taken me _centuries_ to attain that control and master the thirst…_ The so-far-nameless man continued to stare incredulously back and forth between the drink in his hand and Edward's determined face.

"Sir? I apologize for my forwardness, but please! I would like to know exactly _what_ is going on!"

The stranger chuckled infuriatingly lightly, once again, and handed the packet back to Edward. "It's all right, my dear boy. You can enjoy this. I _implore_ you to. Here," he reasoned when he saw that Edward had no intention of budging from his resolve. "You drink, I'll talk."

Edward eyed the man suspiciously, – the counting had returned – but he nodded, bringing the foreign drink to his mouth. As soon as the thick substance touched his parched lips, Edward felt the wildfire that had, thus far, been raging in his throat hit a climax before settling to a dull roar as the sticky fluid slid easily down his esophagus. Edward drained the packet, and smacked his lips in satisfaction.

"Better?" the man asked, and Edward nodded enthusiastically.

"What was that?" he asked, and the counting stuttered.

The man eyed Edward calculatingly for a moment before he answered. "That was a packet of a wolf's blood."

Edward simply stared at the insane man before him. This… this… monstrosity of a person had just given him _blood?_ He, Edward Cullen, had just drank… a _wolf's blood?_ Who did this man think he was? Edward wanted to retch up the nauseating fluid he'd so willingly swallowed, but his body seemed to disagree. In fact, to Edward's disgust, he found himself craving _more_ of the vile beverage.

"Wh- what?" he stammered in disbelief. "You just fed me an animal's _blood?_" Did this fool have any clue how unsanitary that was? How dangerous to his health it was? How many diseases fabricated themselves in animals' blood?

"Certainly," said the man matter-of-factly. "What else would sustain you?" he asked as if it were the million-dollar question on a game show.

"Oh, I don't know. Um, _food?_" Edward cried, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Although he kept his facial features fixed in an expression of true outrage, he couldn't help but start to worry. What exactly _had_ happened to him?

The doctor let out a loud bark of laughter. "Food will no longer be your source of energy," he explained, still smiling. "Honestly, Edward. You're a smart lad, have you truly not figured this out yet?"

Edward narrowed his eyes, listening intently for more signs of the man's thoughts, but it appeared as though he were not thinking of anything at the moment, for his mind was silent.

The stranger took a deep breath and smiled a dashing smile at Edward. "Edward Cullen, I am Oliver Manning. You may call me Oliver. I've been watching you for some time now. And, let me assure you, I would not have done what I did to you if I thought there would be any problems."

Edward could feel the nervousness sweeping him up, but he did not feel the usual knotting of the stomach, nor did he feel the normal increase of heart rate. In fact, Edward realized, with a new pang of shock, he didn't feel _any_ kind of heart rate.

"What. Have. You. Done. To. Me?" He said slowly, enunciating each word with unusual precision.

_Uh-oh…he doesn't seem pleased…_came the already-familiar thoughts of Oliver Manning. "Well, Edward, my dear boy. You've become one of the eternal – one of the… undead, so to speak. Edward… you are a vampire."

Had he not just drank an animal's blood, Edward would _never_, in one hundred thousand years, have believed Oliver. But the fact of the matter was, he had just drank blood. And it had tasted delicious.

Shock coursed through Edward's entire body, nearly restarting his heart. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do. He merely stood there in front of this doctor, his feet rooted to the floor. A vampire? A mythical creature? How? How on _earth_ could this have happened? There was no such thing as vampires. What was next? The Loch Ness monster would appear in his bathtub to take him to Neverland? It was unfeasible, impossible. And yet…

In all senses, Edward was dead. But he was here, having a conversation with a stranger; of that he was certain. He'd just swallowed blood, hungrily and willingly. Although it was all so _illogical_, the only _logical_ explanation would be…

But, no. He couldn't bring himself to think it. It was im_possible_. "I don't believe you," he challenged, so quietly that he did not expect a response.

But Oliver sighed, staring hard into his eyes. "Come with me, please." It was a request. Edward was free to decline. But some unknown force pulled him along behind Oliver, who was walking to a small door on the other side of the hall. Upon reaching the door, Oliver opened it to reveal a bathroom with a mirror. Edward stopped short, unwilling to walk any further. If he did not see his reflection, it would be real. He would be a vampire.

"Don't be silly, Edward," said Mr. Manning, seeming to read his mind. "Most of what you've probably heard about vampires is a myth. We have reflections – I merely wanted to show you how you've changed."

Edward was still hesitant as he stepped forward into the bathroom. He was about to reach over and flick on the light when he realized there was no need – Edward's vision was perfect in the blackness of the bathroom, and he could see himself more clearly than ever.

His reflection startled him for two main reasons at first glance – number one was that his vision was so impeccable _without_ his glasses. Number two was also pertaining to his eyes. His eyes were a prominent color of red that almost seemed to glow in the dark. Edward swallowed and was startled that there was no saliva to swallow. His muscles merely contracted and then released again, uncomfortably dryly. Edward's complexion was absolutely flawless – not a blemish or a freckle in sight – and his face seemed to have hollowed out, giving his already angular features a more defined touch. He looked older – much older – than seventeen, and he was much better built than before. His pectoral muscles bulged under the papery hospital gown, and his abdomen was tightly sculpted, as were his biceps, triceps, and calves. He marveled a little more at the buff, athletic body that he'd only seen on TV actors. His hair, even, had taken a glossier shine to it. He was positively beautiful, and yet, not unrecognizable. It was still his face – still his long nose and thin-lipped mouth. He was still the same, yet different in so many ways. Edward reached a shaking hand forward to touch the mirror, as if to make sure it was not a figment of imagination. Instead of the feeling of cold glass, however, his trembling fingers cracked the mirror, his hand nearly protruding straight through the wall. Edward jumped back, startled at his unknown strength.

He stared, unseeingly, at his cracked reflection, lost in thought. "H- how?" he stuttered. "Does th- this have something to do with last night?" The words were barely a whisper, but Oliver seemed to have heard them perfectly.

"Three nights ago, actually. You lose track of time during the pain of the transformation."

"Well does it?"

Oliver sighed and nodded wearily. "Yes, Edward, it was I that came through the trees. I apologize for hitting your head on the street, but I thought it might be easier for you if you were in a coma for part of the transformation."

"But why? Why did you attack _me?_"

Oliver looked at Edward with something like remorse before pushing through to his explanation.

"I'd been watching you for a while, Edward Cullen. You're a very bright lad and you had a lovely face behind the spectacles." Oliver's mouth twisted into a half-smile before he continued. I saw a lot of potential in you, but did not want to completely uproot you from your life – you had parents who loved you and whom you loved. You had a life to live, and I simply could not take that from you. But then, due to unfortunate events, you lost everything. Your parents, your home… the whole life that I had been trying to preserve for you, Edward.

"It was a tragedy, I hope you know. I'd never _intended_ for it to happen, but… who's to say that it was inconvenient? Well, you, perhaps, but for my plans, it was nearly perfect timing."

"What are you talking about?" Edward interrupted furiously. "You're _glad_ my house blew-up?"

Oliver's face took on a shocked persona. "No, of course not. I'm simply stating that, though it was tragic, it was still convenient. The perfect time for your new beginning." Edward relaxed, slightly, still feeling fairly sick with the newfound information of his sudden immortality.

"What plans?" he asked warily.

Oliver now looked uneasy. "Well, you see, Edward, I was somewhat selfish in changing you. I need your help with something that is to come," he admitted seemingly unwillingly.

"Like what?" Edward growled lowly, his patience wearing thin.

Oliver seemed to think for a moment before continuing. "You understand that you have a power – a gift, if you will – that enables you to read the minds and hear the innermost thoughts of those surrounding you?" Edward nodded, apprehensively. "Well, I, too, have a gift. It is not of the same nature as yours, but it is, nevertheless, useful all the same.

"I can see snippets of the future. And, there seems to be trouble in the near future that I… will not be able to handle," Oliver seemed rather perturbed by the last bit of information, which made Edward want to laugh at the irony of the entire situation. _Oliver_ couldn't handle it? _Oliver_ needed help? _Oliver_, the man who'd been a vampire for God knows how long?

"And what makes you think _I_ can?" Edward asked, trying to keep his anger from bubbling over the edge.

Oliver smirked confidently. "My vision."

Edward stared uneasily at the sinister grin that had stretched across his handsome face. "What exactly have you seen, Oliver?" And suddenly, there were images that Edward had never seen flashing before his eyes and noises he'd never heard ringing through his ears.

It was a terrifying sight – there was some kind of beast growling and snarling, eyes glowing in the dark, teeth flashing in the moonlight, and saliva dripping from the threatening mouth. The animal was roughly the size of a horse, but it had more of a dog-like style to its skulking. In front of it were three other figures – one was Oliver, one was Edward, and one was but a shadow against the night. The three figures were all attempting to eliminate the beastly dog, and it seemed as though they were failing. Edward watched as the wolf struck out at Oliver and the image went black.

"It seems," the real Oliver spoke at last, "as though I will die that night. I do not know when that night will come, and we must decide upon the third party to help us soon."

Edward frowned, lost in thought. "You want to damn another to this fate?" he finally stated.

Looking down at Edward with mock-sympathy, Oliver answered, "It's not a damnation, Edward. It's a gift!" Edward wasn't buying it. What kind of gift kept one alive forever? What kind of gift forced one to drain others of their life force to continue one's own? Who would want to bear that guilt for an eternity? What kind of gift made you a _monster?_

"I will not take a part in this."

Oliver's eyes flashed angrily, and his jaw audibly clenched. "Edward," he hissed, "the severity of the situation is bigger than you and I. It's not a matter of what you want to do – it's a matter of what you believe is right. And when you see the havoc this creature will reek" – he shuddered – "you will agree that doing away with the vile beast is _right._"

Considering this for a moment, Edward realized he didn't even know what the poor animal was. "What is it? The animal, why is it such a threat?" The power Edward could feel coursing through him was limitless. How could something like an over-sized dog take that away from him?

With a grim face, Oliver replied, "Our natural enemy – the only thing that can do us any physical harm. A werewolf."

If the situation had been different – if Edward was a human rather than a new member of an immortal race – Edward would have scoffed at the prospect of a man that could morph into a wolf. But the situation was all too real, and the thought worried Edward.

"But," Edward began, confusion taking over, "where will the werewolf come from?"

* * *

_I let the days go by  
I always say goodbye  
I watch the stars from my window sill  
The whole world is moving and I'm standing still._

Jacob Black was racing Bella Swan home in his black Mitsubishi, pushing the car far past the speed limit. It wasn't fair, he thought irritably. His only friend had been taken from him at such an early age. The one person who had reached out and offered to look out for him – gone. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but he knew enough to know that it _shouldn't_ have happened at all.

Beside him, Bella Swan was silently crying, and every time he looked over, she was staring into space, more droplets leaking from the corners of her eyes. Jacob reached over and squeezed Bella's hand reassuringly. She closed her eyes tightly, letting more crystal clear teardrops fall from her lashes, and let out a sob that shook her entire body, face crumpling in anguish.

Upon driving up to her house, Jacob had thought of exactly what he should say to Bella – now the question was whether or not he had the nerve.

"Thank you, Jacob," Bella's words were shaking with her voice.

"Don't mention it, Bella," he mumbled.

"You know," she sniffled, looking at her hands, which were folded neatly in her lap, "he saved my life once. I should've been able to save his."

"You did everything you could. It's not a debt you have to pay…"

Bella looked up from her hands, through her wet lashes with dark, knowing eyes. "Isn't it?"

After a moment of awkward silence, Bella fumbled around for the door handle. "Bella," Jacob started, finally working up the courage. "If you need to talk about it… Just- just know I'm here. Any time."

Bella smiled, sullenly, her cheeks shining in the dull light of the car. "Thanks, Jake." And she slid out into the night, hurrying towards the front door.

Jacob waited until Bella was safely inside before throwing his car into reverse and speeding home.

When Jacob arrived home, he noticed his father's office's light on.

"Dad?" he called through the silent house.

"In here, son. Come in here…" came Billy's gruff voice. Jacob stared at the door, disbelievingly. His father never invited him in the office. Slowly, he pushed the door open.

Billy Black's office consisted of many books, college degrees and awards, disheveled files, and many, many experiments.

"Come here, boy, I need your help with something…" Billy's voice was coming from behind the large armchair that he sat at while working.

"Okay…" Jacob said warily. His father rarely needed help with anything when he had trained professionals offering, let alone his mediocre-student of a son. "What's up?" Jacob asked, though they were the only words he managed to get out before his father stuck a needle into the artery in his neck, pumping some dark, viscous liquid into his son's bloodstream, a manic gleam in his eye, mechanical legs swinging back and forth merrily like a little boy who'd just received his allowance.

The last thing that Jacob remembered seeing clearly was the look of triumphant glee in eyes that could not truly be his father's.

* * *

No one heard the message on the answering machine that Sam Uley had left. 

"Billy, it's Sam. Listen, Billy, something's not right about those legs. You need to come back here so we can check them out further – they're doing something to your head. Just… just come on down when you get this so we can run a few tests. I'm worried about you, Billy. Be careful around Jacob until you can get down here again. I'll talk to you later, Bill. Take care of yourself."


	6. Warning Sign

**Note: the following contains a minute segment of crude language from the male mind - which is not exactly a familiar place to me. Therefore, I apologize if it does not seem convincing and it takes away from the story rather than adds to it. Just tell me, and I'll try to fix it.  
Thank you!  
--Mel**

Chapter Five  
_Warning Sign_

_A warning sign  
I missed the good part but I realized  
I started looking and the bubble burst  
I started looking for excuses_

"Isabella Marie Swan! You have been sulking around here for a _week_ now! I will not tolerate this any longer! You are coming to Port Angeles with me tonight to go shopping!"

Alice Cullen tried desperately to get the mess of hair and tissues that was Bella out of bed, but Bella simply did not feel like cooperating. It had only been a week since Edward had died, and Alice had assumed that Bella felt guilty that she had not been quick enough to save his life, and that was the reason she'd been moping about for the last week. True, Bella _did_ feel guilty, but that was only part of it. It had seemed as though the moment she had accepted that she was in love with Edward Cullen, he dropped dead – as though she were being punished for something heinous that she'd done in a past life. It was as though when Edward's heart had stopped beating, a part of her had gone along with him. The feeling was foreign to Bella, and it scared her. So here she was, a scared, heartbroken, guilty mess, and Alice wanted her to go shopping.

"I don't _want_ to go shopping, Alice. I just want to be left alone!"

Alice took it upon herself to grab the back of Bella's shirt and, literally, drag her from her bed, disheveling the covers and bruising Bella's shin against the bed frame in the process.

"Alice! What're you-"

"I suggest you cooperate, Bella. Unless you want me to drag you to the bathroom and undress you myself! Come _on_, Bella! He was _my_ cousin, and _I'm_ not even this messed up about it!"

"Yes, but you never really liked him all that much, now did you, Alice? What was it you used to describe him? 'A liability?' Alice, he was your _family!_"

"Yes," Alice muttered, blushing, "but that was before…"

"Before what?" Bella snapped, her temper rising. "Before he _died?_"

"Bella, it's not _like_ that! You know I loved him! He was my family…" Alice's lower lip trembled slightly before she sucked in a stabilizing breath of air, and Bella's guilt increased. She hadn't meant to hurt Alice, too… "But… we never _were_ that close. I just… I don't want to think about it. I've already shoved it into that state of mind where I keep all my repressed, unpleasant memories, all right? I want to keep it there, and the only way I know how to do that is to distract myself. And what better way to do that than to go shopping? So will you come with me? Please?"

Bella looked at her best friend's wide, brown eyes calculatingly. Did she mean what she'd said? Or was she just trying to sound like a better person? "You know, using shopping as a distraction can lead to some serious problems later in life. I believe the term is 'shop-a-holic'?" Alice's face cracked into a grin and Bella sighed resignedly. "All right, all right. Just let me get a shower…"

As Bella let the hot water cascade over her shoulders and unknot her back muscles, she couldn't help but start to feel better. The water washed away some of the heavy guilt she'd been feeling, and the steam seemed to clear her head. But as soon as she twisted the faucet on the shower to the "off" position, she felt the weight of it settle right back onto her shoulders. Bella changed quickly, and before she knew it, she and Alice were speeding down the highway in the direction of the Port Angeles department store.

Alice seemed keen to keep up the girl-talk, but Bella really didn't feel like talking about relationships like Alice so wanted to.

"Me and Jasper are celebrating our three-year this month, and I have _no_ idea what to get him."

"Uh-huh…" Bella mumbled, disinterestedly.

She could feel Alice's eyes boring into the back of her head, but she continued to stare unseeingly at the price of a hideous orange blouse. Alice sighed in frustration behind her and mumbled something about trying things on.

Suddenly an idea struck Bella – an idea to get some alone time so she could sort out her thoughts. "You know what, Alice?" she started, turning to face her friend. Alice met her eyes, almost anxiously, as if she expected some kind of suggestion for a three-year-anniversary gift. "I'm gonna go ahead to that restaurant and make sure we have a table." Alice's face visibly fell, but Bella pressed on. "I'm not gonna buy anything, anyway, so I'll just go on over to _La Bella Italia_, okay?"

Alice's eyes took on a more compassionate tone as she realized that Bella was really just looking for a minute alone. "Okay, Bella," she smiled, comfortingly. "I'll meet you there in, like, a half-hour."

Bella nodded, turning to exit the store and walk down the dark, lonely street, feeling vulnerably alone with nothing but her thoughts and the dark night to face her now.

She had no idea that more than one pair of eyes was watching her.

* * *

_Come on in  
I've got to tell you what a state I'm in  
I've got to tell you in my loudest tone  
That I'm looking for a warning sign_

Jacob Black had also been laying in bed for almost a week, now. Though his incapacitation was for a completely different reason.

"Dad…" he moaned, over and over again. "Father, what have you done to me?" Billy Black simply sat in a chair next to his son's bed, an impassive expression upon his wise face, and completely unmoving except to go to the bathroom and get something to eat.

Something was happening to Jacob. He didn't know what, but it was something _big._ Something life-altering. Every fiber of his body was aching, and his chest was a bloody mess from where he'd clawed at it with his fingernails, trying to rid himself of the tearing feeling that had been coming from within. Jacob was constantly writhing in his bed sheets, looking for comfort in all the wrong places.

But, today was different. Today, relief came.

The pain in Jacob's abdomen began to fade, and he promptly sat up, eager to get out of bed. He staggered down the stairs, feeling woozier with every drunken step he took. Billy Black appeared at the doorway of the kitchen, a glass of brandy in his hand.

"Good," he boomed in his gruff voice. "You're finally up."

And that's when Jacob exploded.

From within his skin, an animal unlike any Billy had ever seen. A wolf that was the size of a draft horse crashed down in front of the man, earsplitting snarls emitting from the beast's unworldly mouth. Billy laughed a malicious laugh of utter triumph and threw his glass of brandy down on the kitchen tile floor, and the wolf let out a ground-shaking howl of utter anguish before attempting to steamroll past the insanity that was Billy.

"Oh, no, _Jake_," Billy sneered, reaching up and pushing the wolf's chest backward with a strength that did not belong to him. "You've got work to do, boy!"

* * *

_When the truth is that I miss you,  
Yeah the truth is that I miss you so.  
A warning sign came back to haunt me  
And I realized  
That you were an island and I passed you by  
You were an island to discover._

Obviously, Oliver had not kept Edward in the morgue since the night that he'd "died". The man had taken Edward back to his home, just on the edge of Forks. It was not a large house – two floors, two bedrooms, and two bathrooms – but it was comfortable enough. Edward was somewhat irritable to his keeper, however. Oliver had insisted that Edward could not see anyone that he'd been connected with in his lifetime – that he had to "sever ties" with those he'd once loved for their _own_ safety. Which meant no aunt, no uncle, no cousins, no Jacob, and _especially_ no Bella. Though Edward was not happy with it, he complied. He did not want to bring the wrath of the mysterious wolf down upon those he cared so much about. It was a hard thing to grasp, though. That he could never talk to any of them again. Oliver would be his company from now on.

Edward was still learning what was myth and what was fact about his new self. For example – apparently he _could_ go in the sun; it was merely "unwise" to do so in the public eye.

"Have you ever seen the way a diamond sparkles in the light? That's something like what your skin will do. Your human pores have been replaced by a vampire's armor, and your skin will shine like said armor when you step into the sunlight." Oliver had tried to describe, and Edward was faced with a challenge – for some reason, he was finding it difficult to remember his mother's exact features as he tried to recall the engagement ring she'd sported on her left hand. When he mentioned this, Oliver replied with a disturbing answer.

"Ah, yes. You'll start to forget your human memories as time progresses. But the memories you make as a _vampire_ will stick with you right up until the end of time." Oliver winked, as if this were supposed to be reassuring. Edward, however, found the news utterly disconcerting. Forget? He would _forget_ Bella? He didn't see how that was possible. It was as if her image, her voice – _her_ in general – it was as if she'd been branded on his memories.

Edward also found out that the garlic, holy water, stake-through-the-heart, and sleeping in coffins things were also myths.

"We can't sleep at all. It actually gets just plain _boring_ at times without sleep… there's so much time to occupy… And religion has no effect on us whatsoever. If you choose to believe in God, it could only help you in your afterlife. Most of us believe that there is nothing for us after we die, but I like to think there's _something_ to come along after death. It gives me hope that my attempt at mercy is not for nothing. If anything, it makes _me_ feel like less of a monster."

Oliver had explicitly explained to Edward that he was _not_ to drink blood from humans if he wanted to remain under this roof. Edward did not particularly want to remain under this roof, but he also did not want to drink blood from a human being. It was savagery, and Edward would not lower himself to that. He could be perfectly content drinking from animals, he was sure.

When Edward had questioned about other vampires, however, Oliver had gotten very vague, merely stating: "Not all of us are the good guys, Edward."

In all honesty, Edward was beginning to accept the monster he'd become. Not like it, no, but accept it. It was something that he could, at least, deal with. Whenever he became even the slightest bit content, however, Oliver brought up the third party in his vision.

"The question is _who_ will that third vampire be? I could already _see_ that it was _you_ when I first had the vision… we must decide before time is run out…"

Edward was not comfortable with dragging someone else into this, unwillingly. It didn't seem fair that they didn't get a say in things, but when this view was expressed to his mentor, Oliver scowled and told him that it was hardly a choice at this point. Normally, after that was reestablished, the night would remain silent after that.

Oliver often pondered Edward's unusual amount of control for blood. Edward didn't understand why this was so spectacular to Oliver. True, the bodily fluid did smell inexpressibly delicious, but Edward did not feel as though it was something that he needed to consume as often as Oliver forced him to ingest it.

"It would be more irresistible to you if it were a human's blood," he concluded one evening. Although Edward sincerely doubted that, he did not say a word on the matter.

"Oliver, when can I go outside? I've been cooped up in this house for four days, now. I would really like to get out and stretch my legs…"

At this, Oliver roared in laughter. Edward wasn't sure why, as it seemed completely reasonable to him. Oliver smiled down at Edward with twinkling eyes in an almost fatherly fashion…

"All right, you want to get out? Let's go." And he stood from the table, making a beeline for the front door. Edward almost grinned in relief – he hadn't grinned for over a week – as he stood up to follow Oliver out the door.

"Out here," he explained, gesturing to the surrounding trees, "I like to climb the trees. It's sort of… my 'thing'. You, however, may enjoy something else more. I encourage you to try a few things out, but please don't stray too far from the house, as I'd like to keep a bit of an eye on you." He winked and began climbing through the branches of an intensely large sycamore tree.

Edward calculated the wood for a moment, and then tried to scale the mutant tree. He had nearly reached the halfway mark when he realized that this was giving him nothing. Edward jumped lightly from his spot on the trunk, and landed neatly on his feet. He tried to think of something else to do, and resulted in running.

He immediately found that he liked it.

The brusque, night wind whipped through his hair as he sprinted agilely through the forest, darting around trees without losing traction or speed. Edward found that running came naturally to him – he barely had to think about what he was doing and where he was going – and his feet felt as though they were barely touching the ground.

_Aha! The boy likes to run!_ Oliver laughed through his thoughts.

Edward felt a grin – a true one – split across his face as he sped through the forest without a second thought.

But everything changed in one moment.

Edward found himself skidding to an abrupt halt as a scene began to play out in front of his eyes. He was no longer in the serene forest, but instead in a dark alleyway – somewhere in the near city, Port Angeles. Edward realized, immediately, that Oliver was having a vision.

The street was damp and shining, but not with water. Blood was slowly trailing from a figure that lay in a heap slightly further away than from where Edward was standing to the storm drain as the rain sprinkled down, washing the evidence away. Edward felt as though his stomach – though no longer working – might come out of his mouth. The figure was a young girl, no older than seventeen. Her skin was pallid and her hair dark. Her clothes were ripped and torn at the seams, her face and arms and hips all bruised. She lay perfectly still, not breathing, and her eyes did not flicker open.

She was Bella Swan, and she was dead.

The vision faded and Edward returned to the forest, yelling.

"NO!" he roared so loudly that the leaves of the trees shook and birds fluttered out of their nests.

_Edward, please, calm yourself… why did I just have that vision? Who was that poor soul?_

"NO! NO, NO, _NO!_" Edward continued to roar the word; even as he stomped back to the tree that Oliver was sitting in. "That CAN'T happen! I WON'T let it! NO!"

"Edward, please!" Oliver snapped as he sprang down from his tree branch to land lightly in front of Edward. "We can't save the entire world!"

"We can save her!" Edward snarled through gritted teeth.

"These things happen everyday, Edward, it's not something that you should feel obligated to stop…" _I wonder who she was… that vision was positively _random!_ How peculiar, to have a vision of total irrelevance…_

"It's _not_ irrelevant!" Edward's patience was surely being put to the test. "That was Isabella Swan, one of my friends!"

_Oh!_ "Well, Edward… I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do…" _It's important to sever ties… remember that, Edward. She'd die sooner or later, either way._

Edward closed his eyes, exasperated, and tried to speak calmly, though his teeth were clenched so hard they'd shatter if he were human. "If it's in our power to save her and we don't, that's as bad as _killing_ her ourselves."

Oliver looked at Edward calculatingly for a moment. _You love her. _Edward kept his eyes closed, waiting for the okay. _I'm sorry, Edward, but I can't let you go. You'd expose yourself, and you simply cannot do that._

"I'm going no matter what you say."

_I'll stop you._

Eyes opening, Edward snarled, incorporating such menace into the sound that Oliver's eyes winced. "I'd like to see you try!" he growled before turning and running faster than he would have believed possible.

_Please, _please,_ Edward, don't let her recognize you…_

As Edward ran – so fast that the cars moving at eighty miles an hour on the highway seemed to be in reverse as he passed them – Edward tore off the sleeves of his black sweater. He tried to continue running as he composed a mask for himself out of the material. He tied one piece of fabric around his eyes, leaving holes for the eyes. The other he tied over his nose so that Bella would not recognize the long, angular shape it took. He was sure, however, that Bella would not familiarize him. He was new and improved with muscles he didn't even know he had. Edward was a whole new man since Bella had last laid eyes upon him. The speed at which he was moving decreased unwillingly as he entered the city. He had no idea where to begin looking.

Edward tried to broaden his range of hearing and continued to listen for Bella's thoughts. When he didn't hear anything, he feared he was too late. Edward searched for what felt like hours, looking into every alley he passed, true panic beginning to overcome him. He listened, desperately, now, for any hint of Bella's voice and thoughts. Nothing.

Edward feared it was too late, that he'd missed his chance to save her, when a new image cropped up in his mind. Bella.

She was walking quickly, trying to be inconspicuous about looking over her shoulder. The image of her lingered on her backside, and Edward felt unfathomable amounts of rage rack into his body, nearly crippling him.

_Alone, defenseless… this will be like taking candy from a baby… or something like that…_

_Damn, this chick won't know what hit her. I hope she's a virgin. There's nothin' sexier than a virgin…_

_Oh, man, I hope she cries. I can hear her now! "Just fuck me and go, please!" Just like all the rest of 'em…she'll get the same treatment they did – we can't be partial to her just because she's got a better ass than some o' the others._

_Ah, hopefully Boner don't want first dibs._

Edward tried to block the profound thoughts from his head, but no matter what they were there, circulating his mind, the image of a fearful Bella stained on his memories. He'd kept his focus on the images just long enough to catch a glimpse of the street signs. Eighth and Deerfield – about two blocks away. Edward took off at double the speed he'd experienced earlier.

He was just in time, he realized with a jolt. If Oliver had held him up any longer… but he wasn't here to dwell on the "what-ifs" of the situation. The group of disgusting men was circling Bella, like vultures about to dive on a carcass. Bella meekly warned them to stay back, but they simply burst into a raucous laughter.

Seething, Edward marched up so that he was straight behind a tall, pale man with a buzz cut. Edward's lips were in a taut line as he reached forward and tapped the man on the shoulder to make him turn around.

The fool turned with an idiotic grin on his face, and Edward's fist slammed into his jaw. Edward could feel the bone break, the teeth shake loose, but he didn't care. The man dropped like a stone to the ground, and by that time, the three others and Bella had turned to look at the fifth party. Edward wasted no time in continuing to eliminate the disgusting creatures that looked stupidly at him. Grabbing a short, dark haired man Edward crushed his knee into the creep's groin before shoving him aside and advancing on the next guy. The imbecile decided that he would attempt to retaliate, and raised his fists in defense.

"You- you wanna piece o' me?" It was the man who'd wanted Bella to cry. Edward took great pleasure in grabbing his fist and squeezing it so tightly that the entire hand broke like an eggshell. The pathetic excuse for a man cried out in pain, and Edward lifted him clean off his feet before throwing him, full force, into the brick wall, which crumbled with the force of the blow. There was one remaining man, and he was the nearest to Bella. The fear was wild in his eyes as he drew, from within his filthy duster jacket, a pistol. With a shaking hand, he aimed the weapon at Edward who glared right back at the man, already advancing toward him. There was a loud bang, and Edward felt a bullet bounce off of his forehead before his hand closed over the little weapon and he crumpled the metal into a small knot.

Grabbing the remaining pervert by the throat, Edward raised him off of his feet and hissed, "You will not kill again."

The man, gasping and choking, nodded before Edward flung him, also, into the heap of brick that used to be a dead end in an alleyway. Edward turned to face Bella, then, and it hurt him to see the blatant terror in her expression as she crouched against a brick wall that was still intact.

"P- please! D- don't hurt me!" she begged him. Edward shook his head.

He could hear the racing of Bella's heart with perfect clarity. It seemed to be moving at an unhealthy pace, and he walked slowly towards her, offering a hand to help her up. Hesitantly, she reached a trembling hand forward to take it in her own. Edward could feel her muscles twitch at the unexpected chill of his skin – or perhaps it was the steely texture of it. Either way, the natural apprehension did not make her shy away, and the warmth of her touch was beyond nice.

And, then, it hit him with the crippling force of a wrecking ball.

Even through the cloth that muffled his sense of smell, never, even in Edward's humanity, had he smelled such a tantalizing odor. Never had the flourish of anything created such a desire within him. Never hand the illicit seemed so tempting. The sweet scent floundered through the air, causing Edward's eyes to grow black with thirst, and the venom to pool in his mouth as his natural instincts prepared him for the meal.

But it was a much more complicated desire than that. Edward would never, in one million years harm Bella. He loved her. The love was true and it raged deeply within him, and because of that wildfire of love, he could never harm this woman. Edward fought viciously with his instincts, and beat them out – for the time being, at least.

"Are you all right?" he demanded after he swallowed the venom. Bella nodded shakily.

"Who… who are you?" she asked, and Edward smiled tightly. Oh, wouldn't she like to know. Bella's eyes extinguished the fearful feeling, and took on an adorably annoyed glaze. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

Edward couldn't help it – he chuckled. "I'm not wearing a mask because I've got bad acne." Bella's eyes narrowed, and Edward feared she was onto him. But there was no recognition in her eyes, and he relaxed. "Where were you headed?"

"To _La Bella Italia_. I'm meeting my friend there."

Edward wondered, glumly, if her friend was Mike Newton.

"Be more careful next time you're in the city. Don't wander off on your own again." The words came out more harshly than Edward had intended, and he regretted it when Bella's eyes narrowed defensively.

"You don't have to be so rude," she scolded. "It's not like I _asked_ you to come save me."

_Rude?_ Edward had just voluntarily saved her life without even a thank you and she was calling _him_ rude? He decided not to point this out, but merely picked her up and threw her gently over his shoulder and began to sprint to the restaurant.

"Wha-!" she said in surprise. "PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" Bella roared indignantly. Edward grinned in amusement, though he wished she weren't squirming so much. It was stirring up her scent even more, and he worked harder against his killer instincts.

"Quiet, now, Bella. Don't draw attention to us, please."

"YOU PUT ME DOW- wait… Hey! How do you know my name?" Edward mentally slapped himself. He chose not to answer, and Bella sighed furiously. Upon arriving at _La Bella Italia_, Bella merely glared at Edward. He didn't mind. He simply looked at her face for a moment. Then, before he could stop himself, reached up and gently pressed his cool fingers to her warm cheek.

The fury vanished from Bella's face at the shock of his touch. She shuddered, and Edward frowned.

"Forgive me," he muttered, dropping his hand.

"N-" Bella started to say, but changed track mid-word. And that's when Edward realized something – he could not read Bella's mind. Edward focused a little harder on her head rather than what she was saying, but still found nothing. So, apart from her smelling so delicious it should be illegal, he could not break the barrier between her mind and his power, he concluded, somewhat irritably.

Bella frowned. "Well? What do you go by? What's your name or what can I call you? Will you answer me sometime _today?_"

Edward realized that he'd been standing there frowning at her for well over a minute now. She probably thought he was slow in the head, or something. Edward looked into Bella's dark, intelligent eyes for a moment before he uttered one, simple word for her to remember his red eyes and masked face by: "Hero."

And he turned on his heel and ran off into the night, leaving Bella dazed and confused and, somehow, emptier than when he'd come to her.


	7. Decoy

Chapter Six  
_Decoy _

_Close your eyes and make believe this is where you want to be  
Forgetting all the memories, try to forget love cause love's forgotten me  
Well hey, hey baby, it's never too late pretty soon you won't remember a thing  
And I'll be distant, the stars reminiscing  
Your heart's been wasted on me_

Edward lay on the bed that his room in Oliver's house was unnecessarily equipped with. He was staring up at the ceiling, a small smile pasted on his lips. He'd seen Bella. He'd been able to talk to Bella. Sure, she hadn't known it was him, but it didn't matter. They'd been so close to each other, and yet… so far. So very far…

Upon Edward's return to the household, Oliver had met him in the kitchen. Edward had been nervous about his return, as Oliver had not exactly given him permission to go, but the feeling of foreboding vanished when he saw the look of amusement that was plastered on Oliver's devilishly handsome face.

"Ah, good to have you home… _Hero_," he started. A sheepish grin began to spread across Edward's face. There was a moment of silence in which neither of them talked. Then, Edward broke the silence.

"How much did you see?"

Oliver beamed down at Edward, true humor shining through his eyes. "Just about all of it. I must say – it was very entertaining to watch you eliminate those men as if they were cockroaches… Better than TV nowadays."

"They weren't even good enough to be considered cockroaches," Edward spat in fury, recalling the repugnant thoughts of Bella that had consumed the disgusting creatures' minds.

Oliver simply smiled in good humor. "May I see your mask?" he asked, the smile growing.

Edward shoved his hand in his pocket and removed the material that he'd so hastily configured into a mask. Oliver chuckled as he gave the thing the once over. "This won't do… this won't do at all…" he continued, still grinning.

"It worked, though," Edward protested. "She didn't recognize me – even when I spoke."

"That's because she believes Edward Cullen to be dead. No, this will not do. It does not hide enough of your features. This is more like the mask of Zorro than the mask a _hero_ should wear."

Edward's embarrassment levels rose. "It just came out. I didn't mean for it to be a literal term…" he mumbled humbly.

Oliver looked up, seemingly shocked. "I wasn't poking fun, Edward. I was being completely serious. If we're going to be protecting people, you'll need something that obscures your face a bit more. Yet… something that's easy to move in so that you can fight… and nothing that will obstruct your vision or scent… those could help in detecting people…"

"Wait, let me get this straight… you weren't going to let me go save one of my friends… but now… you _want_ me to go out and save people?" It didn't make sense to Edward. How could Oliver be so indecisive?

"I didn't want you to save her because I feared you would reveal our secret. Now that it has become apparent that you can be a vampire and be inconspicuous about your identity, there's no reason not to. With my visions, I can see the future attacks and send you to stop them."

"You wouldn't come, too?" Edward asked almost sullenly.

Oliver chuckled lightly. "No, Edward, I wouldn't. For one thing, I don't think I could ever keep up with you. For another, it would be unwise to draw even more attention to us. I think that it would be less of a scandal if there were only _one_ hero running around the peninsula…"

The conversation had left Edward in high spirits. He would be allowed to save people… he didn't have to sit by and watch. He could rescue them and refrain from being the monstrosity that he'd been made into.

_Hero_. He'd told her to call him Hero. It had just come out at the time. He hadn't meant anything by it – it was just the first thing that had come to mind. Truly, he hadn't planned on being able to see Bella again at all. But now… he _was_ Hero. He would be able to go into public again – as long as he remained a secret. Edward wasn't complaining. He would have given anything to be able to go back out into the world, and now he _could._ And he hadn't hat to give anything but his protective services.

So there he lay on his back, staring up at the blank ceiling, reveling in the fact that he might see Bella again someday.

_Edward,_ Oliver's thoughts flowed to him. _May I come in for a moment?_

"Yes," he responded at normal conversation volume. Edward was becoming more and more savvy with his vampire characteristics. He knew that even if he'd whispered Oliver would have heard him – the hearing of a vampire was more acute than one could ever imagine. If a pin fell on the tile floor in the foyer on the first level, a vampire could hear it with perfect clarity from the rooftop, making it exceedingly difficult to sneak up on one.

Oliver pushed the door open and strode into the large room. It was a nice room, and aside from the bed there was a desk with a rather squashy looking armchair and a sleek, black computer on the desktop. A full walk-in closet was against the far wall, and a bathroom – fully equipped – extended from the closet. The carpeting in the room was a beige color that matched the walls, but the bedspread and curtains were scarlet red. A television set was built into an upper corner of the wall, but Edward almost never turned it on – only when he was extremely bored did he resort to such mind-numbing entertainment. No, Edward's favorite part of the room relied in the sound system. Speakers protruded from every corner of the room – besides the television's corner – and a rather large stereo sat next to the desk. That stereo had become Edward's new best friend.

"Edward, I've finished the 'costume' if you'd like to see it," Oliver grinned. He was very enthusiastic about this, for some reason that Edward was not completely sure of. What he got from his thoughts, though, was that Oliver saw this as some opportunity to prove something. But what and to whom was still a mystery.

Edward sighed, seemingly exasperated when, in reality, he was truly anxious to see what Oliver had whipped up. He refused to wear any spandex. "All right, Oliver, show me what it is you've done."

Laughing, Oliver unfolded the bundle he'd been carrying. It was a pair of black jeans and black sneakers. Edward raised his eyebrows – _he_ could have come up with that – before Oliver showed him the last part of the package.

It was a long sleeved black shirt that had a hood. The hood, Edward realized, was actually a mask – though it was a much better mask than what Edward had so hastily made. The black material was, indeed, of a spandex nature. It was attached to the shirt, so that the material would run up the back of Edward's neck and then cover his hair and come down in front of his eyes and nose before cutting off over his mouth. There were slits cut so that he could see – in short, Edward realized with a slight laugh, it looked like Batman's mask in the old movies.

"I thought you said vampires couldn't turn into bats?" Edward jested.

Oliver's smile faded a bit. "They can't…" he said, clearly confused. _What the deuce is he talking about? What does he think of the mask? Why is he talking about bats?_

Edward rolled his eyes, not bothering to explain. "It looks great, Oliver." The man beamed in pleasure.

"I'm glad you think so. Now, you know how this will work… I'll look ahead for crime that's happening a few times…"

"Until your 'vision' becomes attuned to it," Edward nodded.

"Right. And then the visions will come as they please, acting as our own little alarm system or police radio or whichever. When I see the trouble, you'll change and go to the scene of the crime and-"

"Pummel the living daylights out of the criminals, Oliver. Yes, I know…" Oliver merely grinned again.

"You don't know how exciting this is for me, Edward. It's been so long since anything even remotely interesting has happened to me."

This statement sparked Edward's curiosity. "How old _are_ you, anyway, Oliver?" It felt like he knew so much about Edward, but Edward knew barely anything about _him_.

Oliver pondered for a moment. "Well, I was born in 1464 in London, though I only stayed there until I was twenty-eight. I made my way to Spain, actually, so that I could start afresh. They were recruiting sailors for something, and I signed up. Then, I was changed here, in the New World, America, in 1494. I was among those upon Columbus' ship when America was discovered." Edward merely gaped. Oliver was _old_.

"Wh- what happened? How were you bitten?"

Oliver's previously slack lips tightened. Images flashed before Edward's eyes, but they went by so fast that he could not make any sense of them, so he simply waited for Oliver to tell the tale.

"Well," he began, his voice easy despite the look in his eyes. "The Native Americans here – though none of us knew it – were werewolves. They were having an ongoing war with the vampires, though they were incredibly discreet about the whole affair. That, or we were just entirely oblivious. But, one night… I got in the way… I would show you the memories, but they're rather vague. I don't remember much from that night, thankfully. The only reason I was not drunk dry was because others were coming after me… we'd heard a commotion and I had left to investigate… but my cabin mates… they came after me and, ultimately, walked straight into their deaths. I took refuge in a bog – buried myself in mud, actually. I used to wish I hadn't – I used to wish that I'd let the werewolves find me and rid the world of the evil I had become. But I don't anymore. I haven't wished that in rather a long time, actually. I've come to appreciate the eternity. I can fully enjoy the activities I take part in now because I don't have to rush through anything. I have forever – why not use my time?

"Besides, I have someone now. Not a mate, though I haven't given up looking," he winked. "But, Edward, I've come to find you as a sort of son to me. I've lived a very long life of loneliness, and, though this turn of events will be unfortunate, I have come to find happiness in it anyway. I know you may never see me as a father, but I still look at you… as my son. I created you, taught you, and, now, am supporting you in doing the right thing. And if that doesn't spell a father-son relationship, then perhaps I've had the wrong idea all along…"

There was a moment of silence before Edward found his tongue to respond. "I… do…" he said, his voice choked with emotion as he realized this truth. "I do… see you as a father… I… do…"

Oliver's face could have passed for the sun with the light that radiated from his smile.

"Come, Edward," he demanded, setting the costume he'd been holding on the bed. "You should hunt if you'll be around mortals any time soon…"

* * *

_You've never been so used as I'm using you, abusing you  
My little decoy  
Don't look so blue, you should've seen right through I'm using you, my little decoy  
My little decoy  
Live your life inside a dream time is changing everything  
Forgetting all the memories and I'm forcing to you just cause you're into me  
Well hey, hey baby, it's never too late when I'm gone you won't remember a thing  
But I can't stay and you know I won't wait I was gone from the very first day_

Bella simply could not wait to tell her story to Jessica and Rosalie and anyone else who would listen. She'd spared no time in telling Alice every detail that she could remember about the handsome, yet mysteriously dark stranger that had, unavoidably, saved her life.

"There were men, all around me, and I didn't have to be a genius to figure out that their intentions were not to escort me to the restaurant…" she began again as the girls all eagerly listened at the lunch table Monday afternoon. Jasper and Emmett rolled their eyes at each other – the stranger did not seem all that heroic to _them._ After all, anyone could beat up a couple guys.

"C'mon, Bella, are you seriously telling that story _again?_" Emmett voiced his thoughts.

"Shh!" Rosalie scolded her boyfriend, eyes on Bella. _She_ was anticipating the story of the mystery man that had rescued Bella.

"Bella, _please_," Mike insisted. "We've all heard the story of the marvelous "Hero" that saved you from, how many was it? _Ten_ rapists?"

Bella scowled at Mike. "If I've told it so many times, you'd know it was _four_. And you, of all people, should be more grateful! If it hadn't been for Hero, I'd be dead right now." The thought made her shudder, but Mike merely rolled his eyes, groaning.

"I'm beginning to think the story isn't even true! No one can throw a man so hard that a solid wall becomes a pile of bricks," Mike noted with annoyance clear in his tone.

"Mike!" Alice shouted, appalled. "Why would Bella make up such a thing?"

Mike shrugged. "Attention?"

Bella sent a glare of daggers at her boyfriend, thoroughly wishing that the blades would become real and stab his smug face. "Michael… Ethan… Newton…" she said through deep breaths and gritted teeth.

"Me-en!" Jasper and Emmett chorused in a mock opera tone, laughing. Every time anyone used Mike's middle name, the two would break out in song about how his initials spelled "men". It drove Bella up the wall. She glared, pointedly, at the two boys, and they must have sensed the venom in her stare, for they both quieted immediately.

"I am _not_ making up stories about attempted _rape_ and _murder_. How _dare_ you accuse me of such things, Mike?" And she stood up from the table, taking her things with her.

"Now you've done it, Newton," Jasper smirked. "Bella's not going to let _this_ one go for a _long_ time…"

Mike just shrugged. "She'll get over it…" he mumbled, but he wasn't so sure.

Bella marched away from the lunch table with a kind of defiance in her stride. She strode right over to the table that she'd often longed to go to – Jacob Black's table. Jacob had been acting rather funny lately in English class. Bella had suspected it was because of Edward, but right now the reason didn't matter to her. He'd told her she could talk to him, so by golly, she was going to talk.

"Hi, Jake," she grumbled approaching the table. Jacob stiffened at the sound of her voice, his back rigid. He didn't even look at her as she sat down.

"Hello," he muttered, eyes fixed on something invisible on the table. His hair was not in his usual ponytail today, so it acted as a curtain between him and the rest of the world.

One of the boys sitting a few seats over from Jacob jumped at the sound of Bella's voice, and his eyes flickered around wildly as she sat down. The other, sitting next to him, looked up at Bella and asked something in a language that she didn't understand – it sounded like Hebrew or Russian or… something…

"How… have you been?" Bella asked Jacob, tearing her eyes away from the foreign kid and trying not to notice the creepy guy's wildly flickering eyes. It seemed as if when this question was asked, Jacob's face paled. "Hey…" she started, frowning in concern, "are you okay?"

Jacob looked up from the image upon the table that only he could see. His breathing was getting heavier and his eyes held some unknown emotion in them. He seemed to be looking into Bella's soul as he spoke. "Stay away from me."

Fear swallowed Bella whole. What in the world was going on? The emotion that Jacob looked at her with was anything but anger… it seemed like _fear_. But why was he scared of her? Bella had nothing against Jacob – nothing!

The boy whose eyes had not ceased movement finally came to rest on Jacob, utter bewilderment captured in their expression, and even the boy that could not speak English looked at Jacob as if he were seeing him for the first time. Bella gulped and jumped from the table, practically sprinting out of the cafeteria.

What in God's name had just happened?

Bella sat alone in her calculus classroom, shivering though she was not cold. Was Jacob even more messed up about Edward's death than she was? Or did he blame her for letting it happen? Bella was getting very worked up in her own thoughts as she continued to ponder what was going on in Jacob Black's head when a voice whispered in her ear.

"I'm sorry. I just want to be your _hero_."

Bella jumped three feet out of her seat, whirling around. Mike. She looked at his sheepish smile before rolling her eyes and turning back to the front of the room.

"Bella! Come on! You can't stay mad at me! Our six-month is this Thursday!" Mike was attempting his whiny persuasion and all it was doing was giving Bella a headache.

"I can, and I will. Mike…" she sighed, exasperated and tired with this relationship. "Maybe we should take a little… break."

Mike's jaw actually dropped. Like he hadn't been expecting this… it had been coming for a while, Bella had just been putting it off for Mike's feelings. But she couldn't take it anymore. It was hardly a relationship anymore.

"It's this Hero, kid, isn't it?" he snapped, already drawing the wrong conclusions.

Bella laughed. "Oh, yeah, Mike," she scoffed. "I'm totally breaking up with you for this nameless guy that I met _once_. Yep, that's it."

"Well it could be!" Mike insisted, his cheeks flushing. "Seriously, Bella, six months? Down the drain? I thought… I thought we loved each other…"

A wave of guilt splashed Bella. Mike had been rather infatuated with her… but the truth was, Bella had _never_ felt the same. Not even at the beginning. Her heart had always belonged to Edward, and no one else. She'd tried to move on – that's what the past six months with Mike Newton had been about – but she'd just never grown to take an interest in anyone else. Mike was simply a distraction, someone to vent her bottled up passion on. He was no Edward. He would never be. Thinking about Edward brought tears to Bella's eyes. Mike mistook them for tears of not wanting to let go of _him_.

"See? You don't _really_ want to do this, do you Bella? We… we love each other," he repeated, somewhat more boldly this time. Bella just shook her head, letting her hands catch her face.

"It's just not working out for me, alright, Mike? I'm sorry. I can't."

Mike looked at Bella for a moment longer, a pained expression on his face, before he stood up and meandered over to his seat, still convinced that Bella was newly infatuated with this _Hero_ guy, whoever he was. Mike was determined to find out who was the man behind the mask, and when he did, he'd show no mercy as no mercy had been shown him.

* * *

_You've never been so used as I'm using you, abusing you  
My little decoy  
Don't look so blue, you should've seen right through  
I'm using you, my little decoy  
I'm not sorry at all  
I won't be sorry at all  
I'd do it over again  
Don't look so blue, my little decoy  
You should've seen right through, my little decoy  
You've never been so used, my little decoy  
And so I'm using you, my little decoy_

Billy Black sat in a six thousand dollar black leather armchair in front of a raging fire, his mechanical feet resting on the matching ottoman. A glass of whiskey was in his right hand, and he chugged it when the sound of his son's feet scuffled into the house.

"Jacob," he called in the general direction of the foyer. "Come here, boy."

There was a pause before the sound of Jacob's slow, dragging footsteps announced his obedience. Billy smiled to himself as Jacob neared. His son was such a good boy to help his father out like this.

"Such a shame, Jake. Sam Uley died today," Billy said in a somewhat mocking-sadness tone. He looked at his son's face, scrutinizing his reaction. Other than the fact that it seemed to pale under his russet skin, there was no emotion. Good, Billy thought, very good.

"Is that all, father?" Jacob asked in a monotonous, dead sounding voice.

Billy smiled – a sinister smile. "Oh, no, Jake. That's not all," he started in his gruff voice, trying to make it sound smooth. It didn't work. Trying to make Billy Black's voice sound smooth was like trying to iron rocks into tiles. "Now that Sam Uley is out of the way, we can commence our plans. You know what that means, Jacob?"

Jacob's lips were pressed into a thin line, his jaw clenched, eyes hard. He knew exactly what it meant. Billy laughed.

"Get yourself down to the bank – I'm going to need a _lot_ of money for this one, kid. Make sure you get enough. I don't care how you do it – just get it done. Kill anyone you need to. This is not a time to have sympathy on those weaker than us," Billy stood on his new legs, pacing around the armchair to clap a hand on Jacob's shoulder in a friendly fashion. "We're a special kind, Jacob, and we don't need to acknowledge those who are not special."

Jacob's breathing was deep and rapid and his fists were clenched at his sides, shaking rapidly as if he were trying to hold himself back.

"And if I don't?" he muttered through gritted teeth.

Billy's brow furrowed, but the mock-sadness did not leave his face as he faked a sympathetic smile. "Aw, now, Jake. Don't think like that. Unless you want something very bad to happen to that lovely little Bella Swan girl that you've become so fond of."

Jacob closed his eyes and let out a defeated sigh.

"Fine. But. One more thing."

Billy raised his eyebrows, wondering what on earth could not possibly be clear about his instructions.

Jacob's voice cracked as he asked the next question. "Wh- what did you do to Sam?"

Billy smiled maliciously, and simply turned to stride out of the room and pour himself another glass of whiskey.


	8. ECLIPSE

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ECLIPSE!!!!!!!!


	9. How To Be Dead

Chapter Seven  
_How To Be Dead_

_Please don't go crazy, if I tell you the truth  
No you don't know what happened  
And you never will if  
You don't listen to me while I talk to the wall  
This blanket is freezing, it's been out in the hall  
Where you've had me for hours  
Till I'm sure what I want  
But darling I want the same thing that I wanted before  
So sweetheart tell me what's up I won't stop no way_

Hunting had been very bizarre for Edward at first. He'd thought it was going to be something that would take years of practice to fully understand, but it had been quite the opposite. Once faced with a potential meal, Edward lost himself completely to his instincts and before he knew it he was sucking on a wild animal's neck. It had been like a dream – some mysterious force that overtook Edward's every muscle and controlled him and made him act in ways that he would never have thought possible.

It was the same, he realized, when he'd been dealing with Bella's potential murderers. He had fought them with surreal senses – it was as if a whole other side of him that he had never known had been unleashed. Edward sincerely hoped that that instinct would kick in every time that he was forced to fight, otherwise this other persona of "Hero" would be a lost cause.

"Edward!" Oliver called over from his favorite spot in the sycamore tree. "Have you had your fill, then?" When Edward nodded, Oliver positively beamed with anticipation. "Then can we try this out? Are you prepared?"

It didn't take Edward long to answer. He could not _wait_ to get back out into the city – even if it was incognito.

"Yes. Let's do it!" Edward enthused.

Oliver's face promptly went utterly blank and his eyes took on a certain glaze that clearly told anyone who was watching that he was incomprehensive at the moment. It only took a minute for the vision to come to the clairvoyant, and at the precise moment it did, the image cropped up in front of Edward's own eyes.

It was the Commerce Bank in the slums of Port Angeles and a dark figure loomed on the roof of it. The figure was tall and built, but he wore black and a stocking over his head so that Edward could not recognize him. The figure was equipped with a rope and he was cutting a large hole in the bank's glass window rooftop with a gadget that Edward had never seen before – it seemed to be of the topmost technology. Almost like a light saber, but with _fire_. A blue flame extended a few inches from the handle of the tool, and the fire took the image of a switchblade. It was something that was new to Edward's eyes, and though he was quite in awe of the technology, it scared him a little bit, too. This criminal would have to be a mastermind to make that – or to know someone who could make it.

Edward had seen enough.

"Alright, Oliver. I'm going." He announced, and the image abruptly stopped. Edward pulled on the costume that Oliver had provided for him and was about to start running when his friend stopped him.

"Wait," Oliver said with a wicked little grin. His thoughts were naught but the tune of the song "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne. Annoyed, Edward attempted to block the incessant bubbly pop song, but could only reduce it to a dull roar as Oliver continued. "No hero should have to run to his job," Oliver began, withdrawing something from his pocket. "So, I may have gone and picked a little something up for you…"

Oliver tossed Edward a key and then walked through the house to the garage, Edward close on his heels. At the swinging open of the door, Edward was greeted with a most remarkable sight.

Sitting in the garage, sparkling as if it were parked in the sunlight, was a beautiful, shiny, silver Volvo. Edward rushed forward to greet the car – he'd never seen such a beautiful sight. It was his… all his. "Oliver…" he started, "you shouldn't've…"

"Ah, but I did," Oliver stated simply, winking.

"Thank you, so much. Thank you, Oliver!"

And Edward threw his arms around Oliver's torso, feeling a surge of gratitude that was at a level he had never experienced. As Edward stepped back, suddenly feeling embarrassed at the emotion he'd shown, Oliver was looking down at Edward's face with a new kind of twinkle behind his eyes. It was as if he were thanking Edward for being a son to him – for showing him the kind of love that a son shows a father. Edward had thought he'd never see anyone as a father again after such a horrid accident had taken his own, but there was an undeniable bond between him and Oliver that Edward had come to regard as only that which a father and son can experience.

"You're welcome, Edward. Now go and, ah, give 'em hell."

Edward bit back the laughter at the sound of Oliver's refined English voice using such context. He nodded and then climbed swiftly into the driver's seat of his new Volvo. Turning the key in the ignition, Edward relished in the purring sound that the engine made, loving the Volvo more and more with each passing minute. With a final nod in Oliver's direction, Edward backed the car out of the garage and sped out and onto the highway.

The car was everything that Edward had expected and more as the vehicle whizzed past all the other automobiles on the street, the speedometer needle inching towards one hundred and sixty-five, steering with ease and precision. Edward loved it, and, as the car raced towards the city-lines, he vowed that, someday, he would take Bella in it.

Edward reached the Commerce Bank that Oliver had seen in his vision before sundown. He wasn't sure when the man was to come, but it had at least been darker than twilight. So Edward sat and waited in his new car, constantly vigilant and wary of his surroundings. To his surprise, the criminal appeared at the early hour of eight-thirty.

Edward watched as the figure proceeded to find a way onto the roof before he left the fortress of his car, mask in place and hackles already raised. Edward was caught completely off-guard when he recognized the voice of the thoughts. He'd heard that voice before… but where? Whose voice was it? Why was it so familiar? And why was there a subconscious fondness attached to the sound?

…_Don't know _what's_ gotten into that old man lately. Honestly! Making _me_ rob _banks?_ What'll he have me doing next? Killing? But… I have to do it… otherwise… he'll hurt Bella. I can't let him hurt her… I'm in love with her…_

That caught Edward's attention. And it made him absolutely furious. Not only was someone threatening Bella, but someone else – whoever this boor was – was claiming to be in _love_ with her! There wasn't enough room in this world for someone else to be in love with her – Mike and Edward were bumping arms as it was. And it wasn't fair that this guy had more of a chance with her than Edward – just because Edward was supposed to be _dead._

With the newfound energy that his fury had given him, Edward scaled the building and approached the tall, dark figure noiselessly. The man had tied a rope around his waist and to a pipe that was sticking out of the roof. The glass had already been cut, and he was about to lower himself into the bank when Edward decided that he should make his presence known.

"What are you doing?" he asked, mocking true interest. The man whirled around, obviously having been taken off guard. The stocking that was over his head made his facial features hard to see, but Edward was fairly certain that seeing the whites of his eyes meant that he was bewildered.

"Who're you? What are you doing up here?" the startled man quizzed.

"Ah," said Edward, sneering. "I believe I asked that question first. You failed to respond to it, though I don't think it takes a genius to figure out the answer." Edward's voice was cool and condescending. "However, it will take someone special to stop you from doing this. I happen to be special," his voice was coming out in a low growl at this point, and the man stood up to face him. His height might have been intimidating if Edward were not indestructible, but he was and the stranger's looming nature had no effect on his confidence.

"You don't understand," the man said in a voice that was almost pleading. "I don't want to hurt you!"

Edward actually laughed at that – it was a harsh, barking sound, but a laugh nonetheless. "I can guarantee you that you will not harm me in any way," Edward assured.

"Please, sir. I don't know who you are, but an innocent life depends on this robbery. I know that sounds awful, but really, it's the lesser of two evils. Just let me go, and I'll-"

"Enough! I'll give you one chance – leave now and I'll let you go. But the consequences will be dire if you do not retreat, now." Edward stared at the figure, who seemed to tremble at these words.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," the stranger said in a much huskier, more dangerous voice.

_If I have to choose between this guy, and Bella… It's always going to be Bella… Sorry, guy, but if someone's going down, it is _not_ going to be me…_

Before Edward could react to the thoughts, the man seemed to fall into an epileptic fit. Edward was in his right mind to call 911, but then, the seizure-like shaking stopped, and the man before him exploded into a surreally large wolf. The size of a draft horse, the creature wasted no time in springing towards Edward, but his reflexes were too quick and he dodged the attack without a second thought.

Actually, his first thought was how in the world this had happened! One moment a man, the next a wolf… but Oliver had mentioned werewolves in his story of transformation – so perhaps it was not that jarring of a happening. But, still! This had been the last thing Edward had expected in coming to this place.

Edward jumped off of the rooftop, luring the beast to a lower, more sturdy level. As the enormous creature made its bounds for Edward, he continued to leap out of the way, letting the animal's nose bash into brick wall, time after time again. The effort was little and so was the damage – but Edward was nervous in getting too close to the dog. It was, after all, the only thing – other than another vampire – that could do any true damage to him. Edward wanted to retaliate offensively, but all he could safely do was dodge the blows again and again.

Meanwhile, a question was burning inside of him – what did this monster know of Bella? As he yearned more and more for the information, curiosity finally got the better of him and he shouted at the monstrosity: "How do you know Bella Swan?"

A glaze seemed to appear over the fury in the monster's eyes, and the next thoughts that Edward could discern were: _He knows Bella?_

Then, time seemed to stand still. Both monsters turned their noses to the air, smelling the same thing at the same time – sweet, floral odors drifted through the air and the wolf and the vampire turned their noses in the same direction as they both realized what the scent meant.

Speak of the Devil and the Devil shall appear.

A car door slammed and Isabella Swan stepped out of her truck, obviously unaware of the fierce battle that had just been taking place a block away. As the wolf stared at Bella, he took a step in her direction. Inconceivable rage took over Edward. There was no way on this earth that Edward was going to let this mutt near Bella – who did he think he was? Grabbing the dog by the tail, Edward swung the beast around, letting its body crash into the brick wall of a warehouse.

The fight that Bella had previously been oblivious to caught the girl's attention. There was a gasp, and Edward suddenly felt very guilty for frightening her. But as the werewolf staggered into a standing position, he shoved the emotion away. There was no time to feel guilty when this monster was prowling around, able to hurt Bella at any time.

"Lay a paw on her," Edward hissed, menacingly, "and I swear, by all that is holy, it will be the last thing you do.

The wolf blinked belligerently at Edward. Edward tensed, expecting him to lash out, but was taken completely by surprise when the beast turned tail, running into the darkened streets. Edward could have followed – would have followed – had it not been for one thing.

Bella's heartbeat was racing, pumping adrenaline through her system with increasing rapidity. Edward took a moment to compose himself before making his way over to her.

Her eyes were wide and fearful, and her face was paper white – too white. It looked as if she were going into shock.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked in a silky voice, trying his damnedest not to scare her. As he came closer, the scent of her blood smacked into him as if he'd run headlong into a brick wall. He felt the venom begin to secrete itself, pooling in his mouth. The hot, dry, burning sensation in his throat made itself known, and his eyes turned black with thirst. Some little voice in his head told him to drain Bella – that when her blood touched his lips, the suffering would go away. But Edward refused, swallowing the venom that had pooled in his mouth and taking slow breaths in attempt to immunize himself to her scent.

Edward didn't know why Bella's blood smelled exceptionally more delicious to him than any other human's had, but it did. And it took every ounce of his concentration not to let his instincts have their way and murder the one person that he'd ever truly, madly, and deeply loved.

Bella's eyes flickered around, wildly, for a moment before she met his piercing stare. "I- I think so… what _was_ that?" she queried, staring in the direction that the large wolf had gallivanted off into darkness.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," Edward wryly informed her. Just as he knew she would, Bella snapped to attention at the challenge.

"Oh really?" she began, cocking an eyebrow, daring him. "_Try_ me."

Edward couldn't – and didn't bother to – fight the smile that twitched across his face now. Yet another characteristic he loved about Bella – her intuition. It seemed as though she were a human lie detector. She always had a knack for knowing when someone was deliberately keeping something from her or lying to her face.

"Would you believe me if I told you it was a werewolf?"

She looked in the direction of the monster's disappearance again, thoughtfully. Edward waited, studying every muscle that twitched in her face, trying to decipher her reaction by the clues that her expression revealed rather than her thoughts. It wasn't getting him anywhere. Just when he thought he'd go mad from waiting, Bella turned her face back to him. "I believe you," she stated simply, her face somber and contemplative.

Bella's gaze was excruciatingly calculative. Her eyes searched Edward's, and for a moment he feared she'd recognize him by something she saw in his eyes. She didn't, however. She simply looked deeply into his eyes, seeming to work up the courage to say something.

"What was he doing here?" she said after a long moment of silence – not an awkward silence, but rather an inflected peace; a quiet that had meaning in its quiet.

"Robbing a bank."

Her impassive yet calculating expression did not waver. "Why?"

Now Edward faltered. "I don't know."

There was another highly thoughtful silence after which, Bella asked a question that Edward would never had expected. "You're not human. So. What are you?"

It felt like his stomach was in knots – like he might throw it up. How would Bella react if he told her the truth? How would she feel if he told her that he lived because he sucked the life out of others? He didn't know if he could bear it if she ran off screaming, but it would be the only normal reaction. After all, she did smell exceptionally good to him for reasons unknown, and it could be so easy for him to lose control around her. Perhaps it would be best if she knew. Perhaps it would be best if she left now, while she still could, while she was still safe.

Edward looked at Bella with a peculiar expression on his face. He wanted to tell her the truth – wanted her to know what he was, what he was capable of doing to her. He owed her that much, didn't he? Some fair warning for her to get away now, before she got in any deeper. But could _he_ handle it? If she ran from him screaming, could he take the utter agony that would surely follow?

Some tiny, hopeful voice in the back of his head then forced a new idea into his mind. What if she didn't find it at all fearsome? After all, she had just been in close proximity with a werewolf and seemed completely fine about it. How strange, Edward mused. Most people would scoff and doubt what Edward had said. Werewolves _were_ supposed to be mythical creatures, but Bella had simply accepted the fact, and it seemed that she had done so because she felt that "Hero" would keep her safe. And then, a fleetingly beautiful thought struck Edward like lightening – if she accepted that a vampire could be a hero, perhaps she could accept that Edward was a vampire.

The idea was dangerously hopeful – sure to disappoint him. And yet, it was so tempting – like the Forbidden Fruit. What if he told Bella everything, and she could still love him? What if, against Oliver's wishes and Edward's better judgment, he told her every last detail since the night he "died" and she accepted who he had become? The idea was sweet, luscious, tempting him, drawing him into dangerous waters. But he could not resist now that the ploy had been conceived. His willpower was just not strong enough.

Edward did not think about it for long, deciding within seconds that he would tell her. "I don't want to frighten you," he murmured, staring intently into her eyes. She exhaled through her mouth and her hot, sweet breath caressed his face. When had they gotten so close? It had surely been an unconscious act on _his_ part, and most likely on hers, as well. Bella seemed to realize that her mouth was open and snapped her jaw up, swallowing.

"I won't get scared," she said with a touch of defiance. The corners of Edward's mouth twitched upward and he sent a dazzlingly white smile in her direction.

"All right, then," Edward started, now looking at her face more carefully than he had ever looked at anything, scrutinizing the reaction that she could possibly have. The knee-jerk reaction to the words he was about to say would be to turn and run for her life. The next words he said slowly, annunciating each with wary precision. "Bella. I am a vampire."

* * *

_Please keep your hands down  
And stop raising your voice  
It's hardly what I'd be doing if you gave me a choice  
It's a simple suggestion can you give me sometime  
So just say yes or no  
Why can't you shoulder the blame  
Cuz both my shoulders are heavy  
From the weight of us both  
You're a big boy now so let's not talk about growth  
You've not heard a single word I have said...  
Oh, my God_

Bella had returned home from school that day with, instead of a brain, a blender of emotions. Guilt, anger, sympathy, sadness, confusion, blatant _misery_… and those were just to name a few. It had truly been a day from Hell.

All she wanted to do was be alone, but even that seemed impossible, as Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and – to her great displeasure – Mike came over to her house to take her down to Port Angeles for a bite to eat. Going to Port Angeles with a car full of people that she'd had it up to here with was not a very tempting idea. But now, she was so glad she'd gone.

The last thing she'd expected was to meet up with Hero, but that seemed to be the case. She'd driven down behind the midnight blue Kia Spectra that belonged to Alice. She'd told them that afterwards she'd need to run to the bank – her most recent paycheck needed to be cashed – but that they could all just go home.

She was hoping that the bank wasn't closed, but when she pulled up to the dark building, it certainly looked as though it was. Slightly frustrated, Bella decided that she could go for a walk, anyway, and parked her truck to start around the block. That's when she heard the commotion – someone was fighting. Bella peered around, staring blindly into the darkness, investigating the noises against her better judgment. If whoever was fighting found out she was here… she could be their next victim. But Bella was feeling restless with her life – she wanted to be scared. She wanted something big, something life altering to happen.

She didn't know that her wish was about to come true.

Upon her investigation, Bella found that it was not a gang fight like she'd assumed at all! In fact – it was merely two figures that battled in the distance. One was a man, and the other was a giant dog. Bella looked at the two going at it for a moment, and then the dog ran off. When the remaining figure turned to look at her, she realized – her stomach jolting – exactly who it was.

He'd approached slowly, as if he were afraid of her. Even though Bella knew it wasn't wise to talk to strangers, she felt as if this man could hold her confidence. She felt as if he were someone she'd known all her life, and she had no trouble trusting him.

So when he told her that the other figure had been a werewolf, it caught her off guard as she accepted it right away. After all, what reason had he to lie to her? And as Bella realized this, she also realized that there was no way this boy could be a human. If there was such a thing as werewolves, was it such an unrealistic idea that Hero was, perhaps, an alien posing as a Super-Man type figure?

"You're not human. So. What are you?" There. She'd asked it. Now she would wait and see if he could _really_ hold her trust. If he lied, she would know. She could always tell when people were lying to her – even though she was a terrible liar herself. Hero looked at Bella with a calculating expression for a moment before he answered.

"I don't want to frighten you," he said, his eyes blazing with sincerity.

The breath _woosh_ed right out of her, and she snapped her jaw shut. "I won't get scared," she promised.

"All right, then. Bella," his words were slow and precise. Easing through his lips with perfect clarity. "I am a vampire."

First, Bella felt the blood drain from her face. A vampire? An eternal life? A monster that sucks the life out of you so that it can continue to exist? How could… _Hero_ be such a villain? Bella wasn't sure if she believed it, but when she looked back into Hero's red eyes, it held all the truth she needed to see.

At first, she admitted, she wanted to scream. But it was simply a reflex. Now that it was sinking in… it wasn't so bad. Hero obviously wasn't a _bad_ vampire, otherwise he would have let the men that had attacked her last night… well… attack her. And he hadn't killed her, either. So perhaps this was a _good_ vampire. A vampire sworn against evildoers and villains.

Okay, so Bella was getting a little too wrapped up in the whole… superhero thing. But, if he wasn't terrorizing the town, she could deal with him.

The next reaction that took over was the endless list of questions that cropped into her head. Her lips twitched into a smile as she looked into Hero's deep, scarlet eyes. He looked at her with obvious doubt for a moment before he spoke.

"You're not running away in terror," he stated.

Her smile grew and she shook her head. "Nope. I told you I wouldn't be scared. I'm tougher than I look," she insisted, grinning openly now. Hero's frown deepened.

"You should be scared. I am, after all, a monster. One of the undead. Normally, people don't face one of _those_ with a smile." Hero's eyes flicked down to Bella's lips and then back to her eyes, his concerned and disapproving expression beginning to look as though it would never leave.

Bella narrowed her eyes. "How could something so beautiful be a _monster_?" she accused, immediately wishing she'd never opened her mouth. The heat crept to her cheeks, and she lowered her eyes from Hero's. There was silence, and when she looked up again, Hero had a look of complete scrutiny upon his face.

Bella decided she should steer clear of that part of the subject. "Wait…" she began, comprehension dawning on her. "If you're a vampire… one of the 'undead'… that means that at one point you were a human." She paused to look into Hero's eyes again. He blinked at her, his eyes beseeching. Was he begging her to continue, or was he begging her to stop?

"Does that mean… you were a person that lived here? Did I know you?" There seemed to be a ringing in her ears as she realized who this could be… and yet, it seemed so silly to hold hope that this was – dare she say it? – _Edward._ There were plenty of people around here who'd died. And… this guy didn't exactly _look_ even remotely similar to Edward. Well, what she could _see_ of Hero. Half of his face _was_ hidden under a black mask. But his chin was strong and defined, and she could see that his muscles bulged through his clothes. Edward had been much more lanky than that. As much as she hated to admit it, Hero was much more beautiful.

Hero opened his mouth to answer, but then his head whipped around to look behind him where a figure was swiftly moving towards the pairing.

"Hey!" the dark shadow of a man called, some feet away. Bella groaned when she realized exactly who it was. "Get away from her!" Mike Newton shouted in Hero's face, trying to drag Bella behind him.

"Er…" said Hero, looking rather embarrassed. "I suppose I should be going then…" he mumbled turning to leave.

A sudden wave of alarm struck Bella. Go? But… he'd just been about to tell her something. Undoubtedly, he was about to tell her who he was. That was information of the utmost importance. Of course it would be important – it was coming from Hero! She wanted to listen to every single breath he had to take, let alone every word he had to say!

"No, don't go!" Bella told Hero with a panicked voice. Whirling on Mike, she cried, "Mike! What are you doing here? You were supposed to go home with the others!"

"I told them to drop me off because I wanted to keep an eye on you!"

Bella felt an unfathomable amount of rage boil up inside of her. "I don't _need_ you to keep an eye on me, Mike. I'm perfectly capable of watching out for _myself_ which is what I _should_ be doing, now, seeing as we. Are. Not. To-ge-ther," she hissed through her clenched teeth, pronouncing each syllable with extra emphasis.

Hero seemed to smirk as Mike glared at him. "I know," he said in a voice that was dripping with loathing. "And it's all because of HIM!" And before Bella knew what to do, Mike had thrust his right fist in an uppercut into Hero's jaw.

To Bella's surprise, Hero's teeth did not get knocked out, nor did he flinch when Mike's fist made contact with his face. On the contrary, his teeth sank right into Mike's knuckles with unreal ease. He really _was_ a vampire…

Mike let out a howl of pain, yanking his hand away from Hero's mouth. Hero spit blood out from his mouth, but it was not his own. He continued to spit the blood from Mike's hand out of his mouth with obvious distaste, and Mike's screams of pain did not stop. Bella hastily wondered why he spit the blood out instead of swallowing it. If he was a vampire, wouldn't this be a nice little snack for him?

"What did you do to me?" Mike shouted in the boy's face. "What did you do?!" His face was twisted in pain and he was cradling his hand as if it were a baby. Bella's eyes widened in horror as Mike began to scream in pain, crouching into the fetal position on the street.

Hero stood there, his mouth revealing his shocked emotion, before he spoke. "You must come with me," he explained urgently in his velvet voice. "You have to, Mike."

Mike looked up at him through eyes that showed immense pain before spitting in his face. "Never," he whispered with difficulty, trying to straighten himself up.

"Mike!" Bella cried. "Mike, just go!" Her worry was obvious enough through her voice, but her face had drained of all color and her eyes were constantly flickering from Mike, to Mike's hand, and then to Hero's face. What was happening? She was beyond confused.

"I won't go anywhere with _him!_" Mike shrieked. Bella wasn't sure if he was talking so loudly because of the pain or because of his fury.

Without another word, Hero bent down and scooped Mike up in his arms, cradling him like a baby. His eyes met Bella's, and he said, "Goode-bye, Bella," before disappearing in the blink of an eye. Bella looked around in the darkness, mystified as to where Hero had gotten to so quickly. She heard a car start somewhere, and then there was nothing. And she felt as if the blackness that was enveloping her were suffocating her. Asphyxiating her in the overwhelming loneliness that pulled her heart into a black abyss when Hero had left.

She'd only felt this intensity of loneliness one other time – after Edward, the love of her life, had died on the hospital bed one week ago.

* * *

_Please take it easy it can't all be my fault  
I haven't made half the mistakes  
That you've listed so far  
Oh baby let me explain something  
It's all down to drugs  
At least I remember taking them and not a lot else  
It seems I've stepped over lines  
You've drawn again and again  
But if the ecstacy's in the wit is definitely out  
Dr. Jekyll is wrestling Hyde for my pride_

Jacob ran. He ran for his life, he ran for Bella's life, and he ran with his anger fueling him all the way. His bear-like paws pounded the soft earth with urgency. What was going to happen now? He had failed his father… what was going to happen to Bella now? If that damned freak of a boy hadn't gotten in the way, Bella would have guaranteed safety. But someone had interfered tonight – someone had known of his plans to break into the bank. How, he did not know. But he was going to find out if it killed him.

For the time being, however, he simply had to face Billy's wrath. His father would yell and scream and drink more liquor than he used to and then he'd threaten Bella. Jacob didn't know what he'd do if his father laid even one finger on her. He found himself snarling at the thought.

Jacob stopped, immediately, ashamed of himself. Just because he'd been made into a monster did not mean he had to _act_ like one. Just because he'd been forced to do his monstrous father's bidding, didn't mean he had to become what his father had. But he found it harder and harder to fight off the instincts that made him more and more like that which he despised.

He was always fighting with himself to be… just that… _himself_. Just because he had two forms, didn't mean he needed to have two personalities. He didn't have to be like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

As the big house that Jacob had once been able to call his home loomed into view, he slowed to a walk, his mind working furiously.

Who had that boy been that had tried to stop him? How did he know Bella? How did he know _Jacob_ knew Bella? Whoever he was, he may have cost Bella her life. Jacob would see to it that his father would be terminated if he had any plans to touch that girl. And after his father was taken care of, he would find that boy and murder him for almost murdering-

But Jacob caught himself again. Why were these evil, horrible thoughts always trying to take him over? He couldn't kill anyone – ever! It just wasn't him. There had to be a way around the constant bloodthirsty dominance – there just had to be! Jacob vowed that he would find that way around. And he vowed that he would not harm anyone, ever. And he vowed that he would only use his wolf form when absolutely necessary from now on. And as he looked over his vows, Jacob wondered if he could keep any of them unbroken.


	10. Vacation

Sadly, this is not a chapter for you all. I tried to start one, but my life has just been much too hectic trying to get ready for the vacation that I'm telling you about now. I'm leaving for the Outer Banks for a week - so I can't update for a _week!_ Trust me, it's killing me inside. But I'll bring a notebook down and do plenty of writing and brainstorming for you all down there. Leave lots of pretty reviews for me to come back to!

Love,  
--Mel


	11. Standard Lines

**Oh, I missed you guys **_**so much!**_** Like, you don't even know! The Outer Banks were lovely, as always, and I've got pictures up on my MySpace. You should look. There's proof, in picture form, that I was writing on this vacation. XD**

**So, luckily, I'm all caught up on **_**reading**_** fanfictions, and now I'm caught up on **_**writing**_** them. This is TEN PAGES on word, a nice, long update. I handwrote twenty, so I think I've got, like, carpal tunnel or something. XP**

**Thanks for the reviews while I was away! I seriously appreciate them, as always! I'm glad I've got some fans for this story – I wasn't sure how its success was going to go, but it seems pretty well liked. I'm really glad about that.**

**And I know that literally NO ONE wanted Mike to be a vampire, but, guess what. He is. Because it fits with the whole Spider-Man relations thing. If you're smart, maybe you can figure it out. I know leiahlaloa knows – she helped with the idea, bless her heart. XD**

**Okay, sorry for the super long author's note, I'm done now.**

**----------------------------**

**UPDATE:  
There's nothing new about the chapter - I just fixed all the typos. Sorry about those. There were so many it was driving me mad, but I was just so darn anxious to get up this long-awaited chapter that I didn't thoroughly proofread. Now it's _Edward_ loves _Bella, _not Bella loves Bella. XD**

Chapter Eight  
_Standard Lines_

_Which of the boldfaced lies will we use?  
I hope that you're happy, you really deserve it,  
This will be the best for us both in the end._

Bella started to worry when, after four days, Mike had not yet returned to school. She began to wonder if her trust in Hero was unearned after all. Had he not been able to control his savage instincts and drunken Mike dry? Bella found that concept hard to grasp, as he'd spit Mike's blood out with a look of sincere distaste, but she had to keep all the possibilities in mind.

Alice, Emmett, and Jasper hadn't been too concerned when Bella returned without Mike. She'd told them she didn't want to ride with him and that he'd grabbed a cab to take him back to Forks. But now, as there was still no sign of him, they began to bombard Bella with countless questions.

"But you definitely saw him, right?"

"You're sure he got _in_ the cab?"

"Did anything else happen that night?"

Bella was honestly going out of her mind. She'd had quite enough of this so-called "popular" scene. If she'd never made nice with Rosalie Hale – the first girl in their class to get her _period_ when they were in the fourth grade; therefore making her the most popular girl in school – in seventh grade, she never would have had to deal with _any_ of this. She could've remained friends with Edward Cullen, ignored the constant warnings to stay away from him. Who knows? Maybe, if she went all the way back in time, he never would have even died in the first place…

But the fact remained that she _had_ become friends with Rosalie, and that course of action had permanently altered her life. Because of that minute detail, Bella felt responsible for Mike. After all, if she hadn't told him off in front of Hero, he wouldn't have tried to hit him, and this whole chain-reaction-mess-thing would never have happened. Mike wouldn't have gone missing. But now, his parents had filed a missing persons report – and he still hadn't shown up. The entire situation was getting entirely out of hand.

No information of Mike's whereabouts had reached Bella's ears for almost a week, now. And if Bella hadn't heard anything – no one had. Charlie Swan – Bella's father – was the head of the police department in Forks, so if he didn't know anything; no one knew anything.

_Well,_ Bella thought guiltily, someone _knows something._

Bella was beginning to feel remarkably dishonest for not providing _all_ the information she knew. But, on the other hand, who would believe her if she told them that a vampire had bitten Mike? Bella wouldn't have even finished saying the word before she was thrown into an insane asylum and a straitjacket.

No, suggesting that a vampire roamed Forks was out of the question. Mike's disappearance was a mystery she'd have to unravel on her own. Bell would go into the forest that seemed to belong in _everyone's_ backyard and call Hero's name into the night. If that didn't work, she could always go stir up some trouble in town. It seemed as though he went where the trouble was. And then, once Hero showed up, she'd force some answers out of him. Well, she'd _try_. She didn't think she could _force_ a vampire to do anything.

Just as Bella was plotting, Charlie Swan came through the front door, pausing in the front hall to hang up his belt that held his guns on the coat hooks in the foyer. When he entered the kitchen, Bella could see that the tired, exasperated lines that were etched into his face looked even more deeply carved than usual.

"What's wrong?" she demanded before he had a chance to evade her.

Charlie's eyes calculated his daughter for a moment before he answered. He was probably debating on whether or not he thought Bella could handle whatever news he was about to throw her way.

"We found a taxi cab today." Bella's heart was thumping loudly in her chest, making it difficult to hear. "We're waiting for conformation from his folks, but I'm pretty sure the passenger was Mike… you know, after a week under thirteen feet of salt water, it's hard to recognize anyone. The car drove straight off the highway and into the water at First Beach. I'm… I'm sorry Bells," he sighed. He was looking at his daughter warily, as if he were afraid she'd cry. "I know this whole ordeal has you really stressed out. You… you still loved him. Didn't you?" Charlie made what was supposed to be a sympathetic face.

It took all of Bella's willpower not to roll her eyes at her father's sickeningly irritating presumption. She had _never_ been in love with Mike Newton! But everyone was treating her as if the emotional blow his disappearance was supposed to take had actually hit her.

Jessica Stanley had been in _tears_ when she heard.

"Oh, Bella, I'm so, so sorry for you! I can't believe Mike's gone _missing!_ He'll turn up! You know he will! And then you two can get back together and everything will be just like always!" she'd insisted. Bella internally flinched at that _genius_ idea. But she'd worn a sad smile and nodded for Jessica's sake.

Rosalie seemed to be under the impression that Bella had only broken up with Mike to punish him for doubting the truth of her story.

"I bet you wish you hadn't overreacted now he's missing, huh, Bella?" she'd sneered from across the lunch table.

But the truth was that Bella had been desperately searching for something to overreact _about_ so that she could dump him. So when opportunity came knocking, she gladly let it in. It had been hard, though – aside from Mike's generic sex drive that comes with _all_ boys, he was really a very _good_ boyfriend. He'd always walk her to classes and say nice things. It's just that… she didn't love him.

To save time and energy explaining her complex feelings to her poor father, Bella simply put on her most pathetic face and murmured a "yes" at her shoes.

Charlie nodded understandingly. "It'll be all right, Bella. First love is always hard to let go of."

Again, Bella put her willpower to the test, resisting the snort that had risen up inside of her. The irony of Charlie saying this almost two weeks after her _real_ first love had _died_ was too much. Bella quickly excused herself to the front porch before the laughter she was bottling up inside made her explode.

Bella clutched the porch railing for support as she let the giggles take her over. She tried to keep them down to a dull roar, but then she realized something that disturbed her – she wasn't laughing at all. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but they weren't tears of mirth as she'd thought. Her body was heaving with the effort of the miserable sobs that she'd mistaken for laughter. And, as the darkness enveloped her, she sobbed one word over and over into the night:

"Hero… Hero…"

She didn't know how long it had been when cold fingertips pushed the soaking wet hair out of her bloodshot eyes.

"Shhh…" he crooned, "I'm here… I'm here, now… what's wrong, Bella? What has made you so upset?"

His voice sounded like silk might, if silk had a sound, and his icy fingertips felt good on her hot face. As Bella squeezed a few more tears from her eyes, she finally regained her composure. Sucking in a deep breath of the damp air, eyes closed and lips trembling, she flinched, unwillingly, away from Hero's comforting gesture.

"You have," she sputtered through clenched teeth. Finally, she opened her eyes and instantly regretted that choice. From what she could see through his blasted mask, she'd really hurt him with those two, simple words. She hadn't _meant_ to hurt him, but the pain was ominous in his ruby red eyes, and it compelled her to take his hand in hers.

Hero's flesh was deathly cold – like ice – and as hard as steel. He didn't _feel_ like a person, and yet, the emotion that was constantly being portrayed on the visible part of his face, the expression that he carried in his eyes… there was no way that he was _not_ human.

When she took his hand, though, the pained expression was replaced by another emotion. Hero's scarlet eyes burned in their sockets, begging, it seemed. The stare cut through Bella to her core, and for a moment she didn't know what the facial arrangement meant. But he swallowed hard and she realized with a jolt _exactly_ what that emotion was. _Desire._

Hero _wanted_ her. How could he? This imprint of perfection upon an utterly _imperfect_ world craved Bella. But she was far, far from perfect. _How_ could he _desire_ her?

"I'm so sorry for causing you this pain," Bella found him muttering. "I will not interfere in your life again…" Gently, Hero picked his hand from Bella's and turned to leave.

"NO!" Bella cried, grabbing onto the back of his shirt before he could run off. _No, you stupid boy!_ "I… I didn't mean it like that." She'd just figured out that he wanted her – she was positive he did, she knew that look by now – but she'd figured something _else_ out as well. _She wanted him back._ She was _not_ about to let him run away.

Hero turned to look at her with sad eyes. "It's obvious how you meant it – I've killed the man you love, and that's slowly killing _you_."

Again, Bella found herself trying hard not to laugh at the ridiculous assumption that she was in love with Mike Newton. "No," she insisted, "that is definitely _not_ how I meant it." Her voice was shaking with nervousness that Hero mistook for sadness.

"Look, it's alright if you don't want to be around me. I understand. I'm a monster – it's only natural to want to run away. It's your will to live, your… your self-preservation. It's your instinct."

Bella merely gaped at the man in front of her. How could he think himself a _monster?_ He had been running around _fighting crime_, for Christ's sake. He was the image of physical perfection. He was an _angel!_ A gift from the heavens! Not a _monster_.

"I'm upset," Bella said slowly, trying to make this illusion understand her, "because I can't figure you out. And that's frustrating me."

The expression in Hero's eyes switched over to bewilderment. "Why?" he asked, truly puzzled.

"Because," the words came out before they even registered in her brain, before she got the chance to extinguish them, before she could even process exactly how true they were, "I am in love with you." And before Bella could feel embarrassed about her confession, before she could consider the risks involved with the instinctive, rash decision, she stepped forward, knotted her hands in the knit material of the mask covering Hero's face, and pressed her lips to his cold ones.

* * *

_But your taste still lingers on my lips  
Like I just placed them upon yours  
And I starve for you.  
But this new diet's liquid and dulling to the senses.  
And it's crude but it will do._

"Because I am in love with you."

The shock of those words bit into Edward's irreparable heart. She… Bella… loved him. He'd heard it in her singsong voice before, of course. But he'd been so delusional with pain that he'd begun to wonder if it had even really happened. But here it was – the blatant truth. She loved him. And whether that was bad or good in his current state was quite beyond him, as Bella had just put her mouth on his.

Edward only enjoyed a short moment of the blissful oblivion that Bella's lips brought with them – only an instant of euphoria. For, after that, he was snapped back into his senses – the wrong ones. Bella's scent had filled his nostrils, the pulse of her blood was a mere nip away and the animal in him was roaring to escape. He had to get away from her – immediately – or he'd kill her. And he simply could not do that.

Oliver had told Edward that his feelings – emotions, senses, etcetera… – would be heightened to an extent beyond his imagination. And, man, was he on the ball. If Edward had been in love with Bella before he died, then now it was an obsession, an infatuation – she was why he _lived._ It was as if every quality about her that he'd found so endearing and lovable were mere factors in the bigger picture. He loved every pore on her skin, every hair on her head, every eyelash that fell onto her cheeks. Edward loved the way her teeth caught her bottom lip when she was thinking or embarrassed, he loved the flash of intuition that her eye revealed when she had figured something out, he loved her pale, nearly anemic, complexion. He loved the strands that colored her irises, he loved the way her heart sped up when she tried to lie, you name it, and he loved it. There was absolutely nothing, _nothing_ that he would change about her. Everything was so much _bigger_ than when his emotions were limited to humanity. And he would not be able to live with himself if he killed her.

Edward's hands curled over Bella's and he gently removed them from the fabric that covered his hair. He tore his lips away from hers and was ten yards away, sucking in oxygen, before she could blink an eye. Edward took deep breaths of air untainted with Bella's delicious scent.

When he finally retained his poise, he looked back to Bella and was saddened to find that she looked hurt – rejected. Obviously, Bella didn't understand the danger that she was in when she was merely _close_ to Edward. Kissing… that was another story entirely.

Looking into her eyes, he said with utmost sincerity, "I'm sorry." Bella was probably drawing all kinds of ludicrous conclusions like that he did not _want_ to kiss her, or that he was rejecting her invitation of love. "I… I wish I could…"

And her expression changed from hurt to confusion in an instant. She gazed chillingly into Edward's eyes for a moment, the corners of her mouth pointed downward in a contemplative frown. Her smooth forehead was wrinkled and her eyebrows drawn close together. She didn't understand.

"Bella," Edward started, trying to think of a way to explain his predicament without scaring her out of her wits. "I'm a vampire…"

Bella's expression cleared and a small, sad-looking smile played across her lips. "I know," she said quietly. "You've told me."

Edward shook his head; the same sad smile plastering itself on his face. Despite the gloomy mood, he couldn't help the absolute joy that was coursing through him, starting at his lips. He could still feel the warm, tingling sensation that seemed to trickle through the rest of him. It seemed like her scent was still with him, too, like the taste of her fragile lips still lingered on his. He tried to keep the excitement out of his voice when he next spoke.

It was somewhat harder to keep the sadness out.

"That… should… _repel_ you from me. Not… draw you in. That's dangerous. I can… kill you," he finished, swallowing hard.

Bella didn't flinch, wince, or even bat an eyelash at Edward's words. Her heart rate didn't even increase – though it was already rather higher than usual due to, no doubt, the kiss she'd previously planted on his lips. She acted as if she'd known all along, and Edward found himself wishing now, more than ever, that he could hear the thoughts that were spinning through her mind.

Frustration tugged at the corners of Edward's mouth until it formed a frown. Obviously Bella didn't fully comprehend the severity of this situation.

"Let me explain," Edward said, taking a few paces toward her. Still, Bella did not react hesitantly at all, taking a step toward him, even. Edward stopped a few feet away, felling her scent coming on strong again. "I am… I feed on… I drink _blood!_" he finally managed to spit out.

Bella rolled her dark eyes, her sarcastic facial expression making itself known. "Really? I thought vampires were the ones that ate _brains…_"

Edward's frown deepened. Did she _want_ to die? "You're not afraid." It wasn't a question, as it was quite prominent that Bella did not have the normal reaction to him that most would.

"You haven't given me a reason to be afraid of you," she explained, blinking innocently.

"I bit Mike Newton."

Finally, Bella reacted like a normal human being _should_ react. She winced visibly and her brow puckered as she frowned again. Edward waited for what seemed like hours for her to respond.

"You didn't bite him." She finally muttered.

Edward stared at Bella incredulously. Had she not been there? Had she not watched his pearly white teeth scissor into Mike's delicate flesh?

"I mean," she continued, "not on purpose. He hit you – tried to hurt you – and karma got him." She shrugged as if it were no big deal.

Ah, but if only it were that simple to blame it on karma. It didn't matter if he'd done it on purpose or not – the fact remained that Edward had _killed_ Mike. Well, in a sense.

The memory was vivid in his enhanced mind. Six days ago, Edward had driven a whining, keening, and _bleeding_ Mike Newton to the only person he thought could help – Oliver Manning. Edward grimaced at the memory of Newton's blood in his mouth – such a vile thing. Why, even if he _were_ a savage, he wouldn't _touch_ that creep's blood. Upon arriving at the house, Edward carried Mike to the front door and rang. He couldn't open it himself, for Mike was writhing and squirming so viciously that Edward needed both hands to keep a hold on him.

Edward could barely hear Oliver's thoughts over Mike's moans and pathetic worries – _Oh, God… Oh, no… I can't be hurt for the end of season lacrosse game! Ow… OW! Oh, man. Oh, God, what's happening to me? Oh, no…_ – but his thoughts were voiced almost as soon as the door swung open.

"Is he the third?"

"No," Edward snapped at once. To think of fighting side by side with _Newton_ was preposterous. "Oliver, is there _any_ way to stop the change? This wasn't supposed to happen! It was completely by accident!" Edward had been about to recap his thrilling tale in which pathetic, mortal Michael Newton had attempted to attack him, but Oliver held up a hand to stop him.

"I saw it all." He picked up Mike's hand to examine the damage. After a moment, he seemed to draw his conclusion. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do," Oliver spoke sadly. "The venom is too far within him now. We'll just have to wait for the alteration to finish itself."

Edward groaned. What had he done? He'd damned an innocent to this wretched lifestyle – just like he'd been… he didn't know what was going to happen. People would notice if Mike was missing. The boy let out a truly pathetic moan, and Oliver dumped him on the couch.

_He _must_ not be the third… he's much too… pathetic…_ Edward smirked before he was suddenly seeing utter blackness. For a second, there was nothing but the swirling, empty darkness – no noise, no light, complete and utter _nothing._ Edward feared for a moment that he'd blacked out, but then Oliver's living room, Mike's tormented sounds, and Oliver's thoughts all seemed to fade back into focus.

Oh… oh no… Oliver's face was stricken and pale – paler than usual, which was pretty darn pale. This can't be… I've got to be there to help… I don't understand… 

When Oliver noticed Edward reading him, his thoughts promptly switched to "Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall".

"Oliver…" Edward growled, warningly. Something was going on… "Why did you just have a vision of black? What's going on?"

Oliver looked into Edward's crimson eyes with his kindly ocher ones. "It seems," he said quietly, "that my time will come sooner than I expected…"

And Edward understood. He'd tried to look ahead to see the third vampire fighting by their side against the wolf and come up with nothing. Oliver was going to die before the fated fight.

Bella's voice snapped him back to reality.

It was soft and cautious and perfect. "What… what _really_ happened? To Mike? What's really going on?"

Edward considered her for a moment, searching her deep, warm, chocolate brown eyes for any kind of infidelity or betrayal she was planning. Of course, he saw nothing. He was sure that he shouldn't be telling her all of this. In fact, he was pretty sure that he shouldn't be talking to her at all, but if Oliver hadn't stopped him by now, maybe it was okay…

Edward looked at his shoes, unable to watch the fear that would surely enter Bella's eyes when he confessed this truth to her. "Mike Newton is… he's a vampire now." He looked up from the ground in time to see Bella's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. "When my teeth cut into him, the poison on them began to circulate into his bloodstream, causing his whole being to be painfully reformed into that of my kind. There's… no way to reverse the change."

Mike had finished transforming after four, long, _obnoxious_ days. When Oliver had offered him a cup of wolf's blood, just as he'd done Edward, Mike had shown no restraint.

"Right," Oliver had decided on the spot. "No going out into public for a while…"

Edward had let out a sigh of immense relief. Mike would _not_ be joining him on his conquests.

The following two days had been spent trying to, first, calm down Mike and explain how things were going to work. Then, they planted evidence of Mike's "untimely death" using bodies that Oliver illegally obtained from working at the hospital. It had actually been quite fun, Edward thought. He got to drive the stolen taxicab into the water. Though, arranging the dead bodies in said water was just a tad creepy. And Edward's _least_ favorite part of being Mike Newton's new roommate was having to look at and listen to the lustful thoughts that the sick creature fantasized about with Bella. Not to mention Mike's initial reaction to Edward being alive at all! It had been a very, _very_ long week… to put it politely.

Edward hated Mike more and more with each day passing, and Mike resented Edward, too. As far as he was concerned, it was his fault that he was now damned to this cursed life, which, inevitably, it _was_. But the boy hadn't even taken to Oliver, who had been nothing short of friendly to the ungrateful little jerk.

Again, Edward was brought back to the present tense by Bella's melodic voice.

"…don't care about Mike," she was saying. "I… I love _you_." Though still hesitant about saying this, _realizing_ it, there was a certain defiance in Bella's voice that made the surreal statement that much more believable.

"Why? How? Your natural instincts should be telling you to flee from me as fast as your legs will carry you." Edward felt his eyes flicker down at the mention of her legs and tried to maintain eye contact. "Our kinds just… they don't mix. We're too… different," Edward tried to reason. Perhaps if Bella realized this, she wouldn't get herself killed and Edward wouldn't have to make her scared by explaining that she had the most tantalizing scent that he'd ever smelled – dead _or_ alive.

But, to Edward's dismay and private pleasure, Bella shook her head, smiling kindly. "We're different," she whispered, meeting Edward's ruby eyes with her fearless brown ones, "but we're not." And her full, warm lips touched his again.

Unable to pull away from the enticing gesture, Edward let their lips stick for a moment, though his entire existence for that moment was restraining the beast within that was rearing it's ugly head. And when the wind blew and Bella's hair swirled around, stirring her scent within the air, Edward couldn't stop it anymore. So he pulled back, sharply, clenching his teeth together and swallowing the venom that had secreted in his mouth. Edward knew his eyes were black with thirst, and he knew Bella's were sad and confused. It didn't matter. Edward would not be the one to kill her, the one to suck the life out of that face; those eyes… _No one_ would kill Bella – Edward would make sure of it.

"I'm sorry," he muttered – just loud enough so that he could be heard. "I- I have to go." And he was darting agilely through the trees, away from the seductive temptation that was Bella. Though the wind was whistling through his ears, he could still hear the magnificent woman whisper:

"Bye, Hero…"

Edward's heart sunk slightly when he remembered that he wasn't _Edward_ to her – he was Hero: a completely different persona. And it would have to stay that way – forever.

As Edward neared the place that he'd come to think of as home, the strong, smoky stench of burning wood filtered into his sensitive nose. Edward pushed through the trees and forest brush that blocked the house from the public eye, into the clearing where the house would normally stand. He was shocked to see that the accommodation was in flames, orange tongues licking at the black, starless sky.

* * *

_Which of the standard lines will we use?  
I've been meaning to call you.  
I've just been so busy. We'll catch up soon.  
Let's make it a point to._

Angry would have to be the understatement of the century if Jacob were trying to describe Billy's reaction to his empty handed return home.

"You didn't get _any_ money?!" the old man fumed. "Jacob, _how_ am I supposed to pull this off without MONEY?!" he screamed, throwing a glass filled with brandy at his son's head. Luckily, his aim was way off and the glass shattered against the wall behind Jacob.

"I'm sorry, Dad! I swear, I was almost in, but some guy came and stopped me!"

Billy's whole attitude changed so quickly that Jacob wondered if his crazy old man didn't have bipolar disorder. Curiosity drowned anger as Billy asked in his gnarled voice, "Who? No on can stop you… you're invincible… _nothing_ can stop you."

"Well this guy did!" Jacob insisted impatiently. He lifted his shirt to show his father his bruised ribs from hitting the brick wall, only to find that the bruise that had been so black and aggressively ugly had completely disappeared.

Billy's face cracked into a manic grin. "You heal too fast to show off your battle wounds, boy," he growled. "Now, who was this boy that prevented you from fulfilling your duties?"

Jacob frowned. He honestly had no freaking clue who he was dealing with. "I only know that he goes by the name 'Hero'. And that his hands were like ice. And he was inhumanly strong."

Billy's face paled slightly, almost imperceptibly, but Jacob caught it. He didn't know what to make of this reaction. Was his father stumped, too? Or did he know something?

"All right, _Jake_. I'll let this mistake slip by 'unnoticed'. But next time, don't fail. Do whatever you must. And… kill our little friend _Hero_."

Jacob swallowed. Could he _kill?_ Stealing was one thing, but _killing?_

"Or," Billy continued, registering Jacob's apprehensive face, "I'll take good care of your little _girlfriend._ Understand, _son?_"

Pale-faced, Jacob nodded. If he had to pick, it would be Bella, every time. _Bella_… she'd been so close that night. And yet… so far.

Now Jacob lay on his bed, thinking about Bella's shiny, deep brown hair. Reliving every conversation they'd had together in his mind. He glanced at the clock – it was late. But Jacob was sure Bella wouldn't be asleep yet.

As if he were in a trance, Jacob picked out his cell phone. His fingers dialed Bella's number with a mind of their own and he registered the four and a half rings before the answering machine picked up almost subconsciously. Before he could stop himself, before he could think about the danger that he could be putting Bella in by talking to her, his lips were moving and sound was coming out.

"Hey, Bella, it's Jacob. …listen, I'm sorry about last week. I didn't want to push you away like that. The thing is… you're in danger. But, I won't let anyone hurt you, okay? I'll keep you safe. But… there are some things that… you need to know; things that we need to talk about. So, um, call me back when you get this and… maybe we could get together to talk. Okay. I'll see you soon, I hope. Bye, Bella."

Jacob snapped his phone shut and sighed. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't call back – he'd been a Grade A jackass lately.

So the surprise he felt was immense when five minutes later his phone rang and the voice from the other end was Bella's.

"Okay, Jacob Black," she said. "Let's talk."


	12. This Ruined Puzzle

**Okay, so. FYI - there's no pack and no treaty in this story, so Jacob is fully obliged to telling Bella right out that he's a wolfman. Kay? Any other questions, just ask. Another long one, folks. With LOTS of different point of views. I won't be doing that everytime, though. So don't get used to it. **

Chapter Nine  
_This Ruined Puzzle_

_This ruined puzzle is beige with the pieces all face down  
So the placing goes slowly.  
The picture's of anything other than it's meant to be. _

As much as Mike hated to admit it, this being an undead, eternal form of life thing was pretty cool. He could do just about anything, and not even feel it. For example, he'd tried to jump off the roof in an attempt to escape and had landed neatly on his feet, like a cat. Oliver, the guy that, apparently, owned the place, was constantly laughing his ass off at Mike's constant astonishment at what he could do. To be quite frank – it pissed Mike off to no extent.

And – get this – Edward Cullen was _alive!_ He'd just been bitten by a vampire, like Mike. It irritated Mike that Edward was alive, and he wasn't exactly sure why that was. Edward and Mike just didn't _mesh_ well.

Mike had finally been getting to be content with the whole living-with-strangers and drinking-blood-for-life thing when something happened that completely threw him off guard.

It had been early evening when it happened. Mike had already become accustomed to Oliver's frequent lapses into blankness. He knew it meant that he was seeing something in the future. But this one was different. When Oliver came out of it, he smiled knowingly at Edward, and Edward had grinned ruefully back. That was another thing that drove Mike up the wall – Edward could read minds. It was like, everyone else got awesome powers, and he was stuck being a _normal_ vampire.

…Okay, so that sounded really dumb, but he still didn't think it was fair.

"Will you go to her?" Oliver had mumbled to Edward, as if he were trying to keep it from Mike. Mike's teeth ground together. He could hear _everything_. Why were they acting so secretive?

"You don't mind?" Edward muttered back.

Oliver shook his head, and Edward disappeared up the stairs. Who was "her"? Where was Edward going?

Mike wasn't supposed to catch sight of Edward coming back down the stairs in a costume – a costume that Mike knew and hated with everything he had in him.

Edward. Was. _Hero_.

Mike let out a growl of fury, but Edward, or Hero, or whoever he was, was already out the door. Oliver put a restraining hand on Mike's shoulder.

"WHO IS HE GOING TO?" Mike roared, knowing exactly who he was headed off to see.

"It's alright, Michael." Yet another thing Mike hated about this place. Oliver _refused_ to call him Mike. Why was he even staying here at this rate? He hated it here.

"He's going to Bella. I want to go."

Oliver promptly became stern. "No. You haven't mastered your control yet. You'd kill her."

"I WANT TO GO TO BELLA!"

"Michael, if you don't simmer down, you'll never leave the house again!"

Mike growled in frustration and went up the stairs into his room. Mike glared furiously at the ceiling, lying on his back on the couch provided in his small room. It wasn't fair! Edward got to do everything. He had the bigger room. _He_ got to leave the confines of this despicable house. And, now, he was the one who'd made Bella break up with him in the first place!

Wistfully, he tried to recall their first date. It had been a group thing, but Mike and Bella had finally gotten together after weeks of flirting. He'd taken her down to First Beach with Tyler and Jessica – he knew Lauren didn't like her much, so she had remained behind. Tyler and Mike built a fire pit, and Mike had shown Bella her first driftwood fire. As Mike remembered the way the flames had danced against the dark sky, a movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. It had looked like, dare he say, fire. But Oliver was very careful about letting fire in the house.

"It is the only thing that can destroy us. It is so hazardous, I never even allow a match on the premises." Mike had been upset to hear that – he'd always been a bit of a pyromaniac.

Mike got off the bed and crossed the room, focusing on the comforter, and thinking again of the swirling, hypnotic ways of a blazing fire.

The bed burst into flame.

Mike smiled with conviction and slipped out the window, into a nearby tree. He focused on the front door and pictured it ablaze. The door was promptly engulfed in orange flickers of heat. Before long, the entire house was ablaze, Oliver inside, calling out for Mike. Mike smiled a sinister kind of smile. Oliver hadn't seen this coming, because Mike had done it on impulse. And now, there was no way out of the house. The house was nothing but a lethal trap.

And now, no one stood in Mike's way of taking his long awaited revenge on Hero.

* * *

_But the hours they creep, the patterns repeat.  
Don't be concerned, you know I'll be fine on my own.  
I never said "don't go."_

Billy sat up groggily from his place on the velvet-cushioned sofa and put a hand to his head. Where was he? He couldn't remember anything at all, but as he looked around a feeling of relief swept over him. He was in his house, safe and sound. What was the date? He wasn't sure, but also wasn't all that concerned. He wondered, vaguely, if Jacob was home. He figured he really ought to keep better tabs on his son – he didn't know anything that was going on in that boy's life nowadays. He recalled a distant memory of the dinner table where Jacob had briefly mentioned a girl that he'd taken a liking to. What was her name? Brittany? No, no, that wasn't right. Billy felt somewhat ashamed that he couldn't even remember such a small, insignificant detail about his last conversation with his son, and decided to go check on him. Slowly, he stood from the couch.

The blood rushed to Billy's head, and his skull felt like it was going to shatter. Clutching both hands to his ears, Billy leaned heavily against the wall. What was happening to him? Why did his head feel so heavy? Had he been drinking? He didn't normally drink at all, let alone to the extent of a hangover… that wasn't him. Why couldn't he stand up straight? A pressure was gradually building on his brain, and a thick bleariness blurred his vision. Billy started trying to walk down the lengthy hallway to the phone. He'd call for help. Something was seriously wrong with him – he might even need to go to the hospital.

With an effort, Billy shuffled his feet along the tile, still supporting his weight on the wall. And suddenly, it hit him like a ton of bricks. He was _walking_. Walking… but how? And the memories flooded back like they'd broken through a dam. The last recollection he'd had, he was going into surgery to attach his synthesized legs to his nerves. Sam had told him he'd finished the prototype. He must have been under recovery.

Billy felt himself leaning over his feet, bending at the pelvis so that he could see the result of years' worth of research and experimentation. What he saw was more terrifying than he could ever imagine. For in the place of his robotic feet were gigantic paws, taking him further down the hallway. Billy let out a yell and tried to straighten his back so that he would no longer have to look at the monstrosity he'd become, but he couldn't stand up. He was hunched over, his eyes seeming permanently glued to his terrifying paws. And as Billy finally reached the end of the hallway, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. Billy was no man – he was a wolf. Giant and deadly. Billy stared at his reflection in horror for a moment, and then he let out a scream that came out as an anguished and terrified howl.

Billy Black woke with a start, a cold sweat running down his face. He'd just had a nightmare – but he couldn't remember what on earth it was about. Sitting up slowly, Billy felt a strong impulse to look down at his feet, so he did, almost afraid of what he might see. But the feeling vanished immediately when he caught sight of the beautiful machine that had been specifically designed for him.

_It was just a nightmare,_ he told himself. _Quit being a coward._

Billy stood with ease and went to the liquor cabinet to pour himself a glass of Scotch. As the alcoholic fluid slid roughly down his throat, he relished in the warmth it seemed to bring him. Billy sighed and smiled to himself. Now that he'd gotten his overactive imagination under control – thanks to the aid of alcohol – it was time to put things in motion again. After all, if he were going to build this remote in time for the full moon that was scheduled for this month, he would need to get a move on. Sure, he could do it next month. But this new Billy was not a patient man. He wanted control of the nation before then. It was a shame he had to await the _full_ moon. But that was the only time of month that the lunar energy on earth would be strong enough to fuel the powerful weapon.

Once this remote control was built, he would have the power to do whatever he wanted with any machine he wanted. Anything from blenders to buses would be at his command – an army of machinery to do his bidding. And then whoever hadn't been slaughtered in the change of events would come to him for answers and be forced to join his army. They'd move across the nation with nothing in their way. Guns would take no effect on them with the remote, and, eventually, Billy would reach the ultimate source of the United States' authority – the White House. It would all be simple from there. And Billy would have the country wrapped around his little finger…

The smile on his manic face widened profusely before it vanished completely. But, he thought bitterly, he couldn't _do_ that without the necessary amounts of cash that Jacob had been sent to collect him.

Frowning, Billy began to ascend the stairs to Jacob's room. He could hear his son on the phone, but he couldn't make out the words he was saying. Pursing his lips together into a taut line, Billy burst through the door.

"Hang up," he ordered, and his wide-eyed son murmured something unintelligible into the mouthpiece of the cellular device before snapping the phone shut.

"If you know what's good for her," Billy growled, referring to Bella Swan whom, he knew, had just been on the phone with his disgrace of a son, "you won't contact her again or tell her _any_thing. Understood?" Billy waited, and after a moment Jacob nodded stiffly. "Good," he snapped. "Now why don't you make yourself useful and go get the money that I need?"

Jacob sighed and stood. He didn't meet his father's eyes as he brushed past him and made his way down the hallway and out the front door. He wouldn't fail this time, Billy knew. This time, he would make sure to come home with every last penny in that bank.

Or Billy would kill her. And then he'd kill Jacob. And Jacob knew that.

* * *

_I've hidden a note, it's pressed between pages  
That you've marked to find your way back.  
It says, "Does he ever get the girl?"_

The streets were dark and wet as usual in the Olympic Peninsula. Jacob lurked in the streets of Port Angeles stealthily, slowly undressing so that he could burst into his wolfish coat and break into the bank before anyone knew what was happening. It was a First Union bank. The lights were off, and the only guard was a fat guy with a nightstick, dozing on a bench.

_Okay_, Jacob thought, nervously, _get in, get out, get home, get to Bella. Simple._ In his thoughts, anyway.

As soon as the coast was clear of any cars, Jacob let the wolf take over, his skin turning rough with fur, his joints popping and bones reforming. He felt his spine elongate into a tail and his ears morph. Finally, his snout cracked into place and boy fully became _lupine_.

The conversion took all of one second, and it was much quicker than it felt. There was a mere instant of excruciating pain, and then there was a wolf standing in the place of a human. But once the alteration had taken place – Jacob was no longer Jacob. There was a beast in his mind that ruled when he was in the form of this animal. The beast longed for the feeling of delicate flesh snapping between its powerful jowls. The beast yearned to howl at the moon like the animal that it had accepted itself to be. The beast dominated the boy in his mind.

Sure, the beast knew what it was he had to do – the orders were set, and it was trained to obey.

_Do whatever you must to get it done. _If the guard did not interfere, he may live. But with the noise that the beast was about to make, there was a likely chance that the guard would stick his nose where it didn't belong.

The beast wasted no time in crashing through the glass door that separated the outside world from the money that this bank held. The alarm went off immediately, but it didn't matter. The beast would be gone before the police arrived. Running straight to the vaults, the beast let Jacob have his body back.

Frantically, Jacob sliced the lock on the vault with the flaming knife that his father had given him for this task. Jacob hastily stuffed money into a sack – every last dollar that he could scrounge up, he forced into the innocent tote bag. Then, when there were no remaining bills, he clamped the distasteful material between his teeth and forced himself back into his dogged form, the alarm screaming for the police.

The beast leapt easily through the hole in the glass and was tearing down the street when the guard finally awoke from his bleary slumber.

The entire robbery had taken forty-five seconds.

The beast's paws hit the ground so fast that he nearly flew back to his father's decrepit mansion. When he was within ten feet of the door, the beast let Jacob have his body and mind again, wagging its tail in delight at its successes that night.

Jacob burst through the door and angrily threw the sack of money at his father, who caught it with uncanny ability.

"There's your stinking money," he spat, stomping up to his room.

Billy laughed a triumphant laugh before crying gleefully in his rough voice, "You've done well, my boy!"

Jacob ignored him. He pulled on an old pair of jeans and a tee shirt so that he could go meet Bella. He jumped out his window, though, so that his father would not question him on where he was going. Landing delicately on his feet, Jacob tore off into the night, trying not to think about what he had just done.

* * *

_  
But what if the pages stay pressed, the chapters unfinished,  
The stories too dull to unfold? Does he ever get the girl?_

When Bella saw on her caller ID that Jacob was calling, she could hardly believe it. So she refused to get her hopes up and did not answer the obnoxious ring of her little silver phone. But then, about a minute later, when the phone beeped to signify a message had been left, Bella simply could not resist. She listened to the message with a heavy heart. Jacob had sounded so concerned… so worried. She hoped nothing was wrong. And then, when he'd told her she was in danger, she'd gasped. Did he know Hero was a vampire? But… how would he know about Hero? And how could he have guessed about the completely private conversation that they'd had not an hour ago?

So Bella did the only thing that made any kind of sense. With a heart pounding so hard it might break her ribs, she let her thumbs skim over the number pad on her cell phone, pressing down on the ones that would connect her to Jacob's.

"I'm not at liberty to talk freely right now," Jacob had muttered softly into the phone as soon as they'd connected. _Well so much for a nice, old fashioned "hello?"_ "Can we arrange to meet somewhere?"

Bella paused, unsure. After he'd been so downright rude to her, she wasn't sure she wanted to really talk to Jacob face to face. But, she decided, she wanted answers more than she minded seeing him. "Yes," she finally said. "When and where?"

Jacob let out what she thought was a sigh of relief. "Okay. How about the little Sunflower Café in Forks? Tonight. Eleven." He was talking fast, and Bella wasn't sure what the rush was.

"Um," she deliberated biting her bottom lip. Bella was confused at how fast this conversation was flying by. Then, from the other end, she heard a gruff voice in the background.

"Hang up," it demanded.

"I gotta go. I'll see you there. Don't be late," Jacob said. Or at least, she _thought_ that's what he said. His voice had been so low and fast that she thought she might have misinterpreted.

Before Bella could even agree, the line went dead. Okay, she thought. So that was the weirdest thing that had ever happened to her. Besides, you know, that she'd just kissed a vampire. _Twice_.

Bella glanced at the clock. It was nine forty-five. She was meeting Jacob in an hour and fifteen minutes at the Sunflower Café, right on the outskirts of Forks. Bella had often commented on the irony that there was a place named after a _sunflower_ in Forks, of all places. It was the rainiest city in the United States – there were no sunflowers.

About forty-five minutes had passed – a half an hour till she was supposed to meet up with Jake at this café. Bella sighed, thanking the heavens that it was a Friday and she wouldn't have to wake up early in the morning. Who knows how late she'd be out? Bella crept silently past Charlie's door, listening for his serene snores. She descended the stairs – skipping the one that would always creak near the bottom – and picked her car keys lightly off the hook. Now would come the real challenge – getting her monstrosity of a truck out of the neighborhood without waking everyone up.

When the engine roared to life, Bella quickly looked to her father's window to see if the light would flicker on and she'd have to gun it out of there. It didn't, and she let out a sigh of relief as she backed her truck down the driveway.

Bella reached the café with ten minutes to spare, and she ordered a scone to keep her occupied. She spent the ten minutes marveling at how this was probably the only place in Forks that was open past eight. And, surprisingly, business was, well, _booming_ for lack of better word. Many of Bella's classmates were drinking lattes in booths, chatting animatedly with their friends. There were businessmen sipping cappuccinos and yelling into their cell phones, and there were truckers taking a pit stop and ordering another coffee to take on the road with them.

Bella waited. And waited. And _waited_ for Jacob Black to show his face. She checked her watch time and time again. It was nearing the midnight mark when she decided she'd had enough waiting. Bella was about to make her way over to the door and climb in her truck for the ride home when there he was.

Panting, as if he'd been running, Jacob pushed the glass door out of his way and made a beeline for Bella's booth.

"Sorry I'm so late," he gasped as he sat down. "I came as quick as I could."

Bella simply stared at Jacob. He looked so different from the last time she'd seen him. His long hair was cropped short and close to his head, and he had to be at least three inches taller than she'd recalled. His eyes held something different, too. Not the young innocence that they'd held that first day in English class, but a sort of exotic, wildness to them. The way the scanned everything so cautiously reminded her of something… of an animal.

"What did you want to talk about?" she finally asked, attempting a nonchalant tone of voice. She had to keep her cool. If he guessed that Hero was a vampire… she'd have to discredit the idea. She'd _have_ to. Because no one could know that a vampire roamed Forks. If anyone knew, they'd be determined to destroy it. And that would be the second love of her life that Bella would have to let go. She didn't know if she could do it again.

Jacob's eyes finally came to a rest on hers. He looked at her with such intensity that Bella couldn't look away, even if she'd wanted to. "You are in so much danger," he said slowly, closing his eyes and freeing Bella of his passion. She swallowed nervously.

"I guess," he continued, "that to fully understand it all… I should start at the beginning. But, I think I'll shorten it to the necessary details for time's sake. Now, I'm going to add in this little… disclaimer, I guess. Try not to judge me." Jacob finally opened his eyes, and they were hard with blazing sincerity. "I know it's going to be hard after I tell you what I'm about to – it's hard for _me_ not to judge myself. But… I think it's important you know every last detail."

Bella chewed on the inside of her cheek, staring at her hands. Jacob was talking so seriously… she was beginning to feel anxious. "I'll try not to judge you," she promised finally.

Jacob's face relaxed, but only slightly. His eyes were still hard and intense. "A few weeks ago," he began, "my father underwent a surgery. He lost his lower legs in the war in Iraq, you know. Five years ago. And ever since he's returned, he's been obsessed with building a machine to make him walk again. Well, with his company, and his power, and his money, he was able to do that. And, two weeks ago, he got the leg… machine… things put on.

"I don't really know much about them, I'll admit. I never took the same interest in his toys as he did. But… they did something to his head. He hasn't been my father in so long. He's been… an… evil genius, as cliché as that sounds." Jacob's lips twitched up in a sad attempt at a smile. Bella realized she'd been holding her breath and promptly exhaled, letting fresh air rush into her lungs. "He did something bad to me, he killed his best friend… and now he wants to build some… some _machine_ to take over the town. I don't understand it, but I know that he needs money – more money than he's got. But his face is too well known for _him_ to go steal it. So… so he's been making _me_ do it." Jacob's eyes flickered up to meet Bella's. She kept her face carefully impassive and nodded for him to continue. "But to do that," Jacob's voice shook a little bit, "I needed to be different. To have more … physical attributes to help me. So he changed me."

Jacob ducked his head now, seeming to feel guilty about something. Bella didn't understand, though. His father _changed_ him? But how? Had he made Jacob half robot or something? What could he have changed about him to make robbing banks easier? And then the light bulb went off in her head as she put two and two together.

His father had changed him… He'd been robbing banks… It was so clear. So clear, yet, so _terrifying._ Jacob was… was…

"Bella. I'm a werewolf."

Bella felt the air _whoosh_ out of her like she'd been punched in the stomach. How? How could this be? It was one thing, with Hero. She'd known he was special. The first time she'd seen him, there was no doubt in her mind that he was not ordinary – rather extraordinary. But Jacob? Jacob Black from her English class? It wasn't practical. It wasn't _possible_ that he was a mythical creature. There was no need to have all these horror movies running around Forks.

"I wish I could say I'm not a bad werewolf," Jacob said, seeming desperate to make her understand something that was beyond her understanding. "But… I am. I've been stealing, Bella. And… I don't want to! I don't want to be this monstrosity, causing mayhem in town! But I am! I can't say I'm not a bad werewolf… but… I'm doing this for you."

And there were the words that caught her even more off guard than the "I'm a werewolf" part. For her? He was stealing for _her_? What did he take her for? Bella wished she could find the words, the sarcastic remark to reply with, but her head was whirling with the amount of information that she was being forced to absorb right now.

Jacob seemed to sense that she didn't know what to say, because he continued of his own free will. "My dad… if I can even call him that anymore… My dad has been threatening me with _your life_ to do his bidding. If I had the choice, he knows I wouldn't do it. But… he keeps threatening to… to… hurt you if I don't steal for him, among other things…" Jacob added, his voice trailing.

Finally, Bella found her voice. It was weak, though, when she meant for it to come out much stronger.

"Other things?" she rasped. "What other things? He… he hasn't asked you to kill anyone, has he?"

Jacob looked immediately uncomfortable. It seemed as though he were premeditating how best to respond in his mind. Apparently, he decided honesty was the best policy. "Just one guy. And… I haven't seen him yet, so I might not even have to…" he let his voice trail when he registered the look of horror on Bella's face.

Jacob? A killer? Two weeks ago, he'd been a sweet, innocent boy. And now, here he was, telling Bella he might have to _kill somebody?_ She couldn't believe it. She couldn't bear to look at him, now. A murderer might be looking back.

"Bella, I don't _want_ to kill him. That's not me! You know me! Remember at Edward's parents' memorial service? The whole three hours we were talking – that's me! That was before all this crazy shit happened! But… I can't let my father hurt you. I'd rather do _anything_ that let him get to you."

"Why?" the question burst out of her like she'd bottled that one, simple word up for years, just to throw it at Jacob right now.

And Jacob was so passionately looking it her eyes that Bella didn't doubt this truth for one moment. "Because I love you!"

She registered the phrase, felt it sink into her heart, but she felt nothing back. It was as if everything that had happened in the last four hours had made her completely numb. She didn't know anything, anymore. The world was a very, very messed up place. Bella only knew one thing – she didn't want her friend to become a killer. No matter what the consequences.

"I don't want you to kill," she whispered, noticing, vaguely, that the few people remaining in the restaurant had looked over at the minor outburst. "No matter what the cost is, I don't want to see you become a killer. Let him come after me." And Bella thought with a feeling of morbid hope that maybe Hero would try to come to her rescue if he thought she was a damsel in distress. Not that Bella particularly liked that role – but if it brought Hero to her, she would put up with it.

Jacob's eyes searched Bella's for a moment before he seemed to come to a conclusion. His face went blank, remote, and unreadable, and he agreed. "Alright. I won't kill anyone. But if there are lesser evils that I can do to keep you safe – I'll do them. I'll keep stealing for him, and I'll keep doing his bidding as long as there's no killing involved. Alright?"

Bella considered this. Stealing she could live with. But killing… she let an involuntary shudder shiver down her spine. Finally, she nodded.

Curiosity got the better of her, though. "Who's the guy your dad wanted you to… you know… do away with?"

Jacob's expression held a hard edge that looked distinctly like anger to Bella. "The guy who stopped me at the bank, one night. _Hero_." Bella felt all the blood drain from her face. Hero was a target. Her stomach flipped over in nauseating cartwheels.

"Hey," Jacob's voice sounded millions of miles away, though he was sitting right next to her, "are you alright?"

Bella nodded, her mind distant and detached. "I have to get home. Charlie will notice I'm gone before long…"

As if in a trance, Bella stood up, marched over to her truck, and drove home without looking back. Oblivious to Jacob's worried calls.

There weren't many options. Bella couldn't bear the thought of losing another person she held so close to her heart. After Edward, it was all she could do not to follow him into the dark. But if Hero went… there was no point in Jacob killing Hero for Billy, just so Billy wouldn't kill her. Because, she decided rashly:

If Hero was going down, she thought. "So am I."

* * *

_This basement's a coffin. I'm buried alive.  
I'll die in here just to be safe. 'Cause you're gone.  
I get nothing and you're off with barely a sigh.  
I never said, "Goodbye."  
But I've hidden a note,  
It's pressed between pages that you've marked to find your way back.  
It says, "Does he ever get the girl?"_

Edward could feel the heat radiating off the fire from yards away. The entire house was engulfed in the orange destruction, and nothing could be heard over the crackle of the flame and wood. Edward wanted to go up to the house and see if anyone was inside, but Oliver's words echoed throughout his head:

_If there's _anything_ that will destroy you, it's fire. It damages our flesh beyond repair, and it should be avoided at all costs, to any extent necessary._

So Edward could do nothing but watch as the flames ate the house that he'd come to love so much. Frantic thoughts made Edward panic – where was Oliver? Was he stuck inside? Was this the impending doom that had faced his new father figure? The thought of losing Oliver tore at Edward's cold, useless heart. Smoke was swirling up over the house in a thick, black cloud and Edward wondered if someone wouldn't see it.

Then Edward realized that _Mike_ had been in there, as well. Though, he didn't much care about whether or not Mike specifically lived, Edward grew anxious at the thought of being completely and utterly alone. Edward raked the premises for their thoughts.

_Edward,_ Oliver's thoughts were very weak and tired sounding. He was dying. _Make sure you check the hole in the sycamore tree… I've left you something…_

_There he is. I wonder if I can make _people_ burst into flame…_ Mike's thoughts cleared up any questions that Edward had had. _Mike_ had done this? Mike Newton, who, not a week ago had been a desperate and heartbroken human? And image of Edward bursting into flame came before Mike's mind's eye, but nothing happened and Mike cursed, mentally. _Figures. It doesn't work on people._ His "voice" was very sour, and Edward felt uneasy at the unexplained hatred.

_I swore revenge on that jerk. I'll get it. _Hero._ What a joke._ And Mike jumped lithely from a tree branch somewhere over Edward's head to face him.

"Hey, Edward," Mike said in a falsely cheery voice. "Like what I've done with the place?" he questioned, motioning to the flame-engorged house behind him.

"Mike…"

"Save it!" he spat with indignation. "I can't believe you did this to me! It's like stealing away Bella wasn't enough! You had to make me a _freak,_ too!" The fury in Mike's voice was unavoidable. Edward had never _seen_ anyone so angry as he was now. "Well guess what, _Hero_, I'm not gonna take it sitting down. I've got a special power, too." And the bush to Edward's right burst into flame.

"Oops," Mike said with a menacing smile. Then the grin turned to a grimace of utter hatred and he growled. "You're turn. Let's see how the great Hero fares against fire, shall we?"

Edward barely had time to think before the grass around him was catching flame at alarming speed. He didn't know what to do, where to turn. Everywhere he looked, he was surrounded by the dangers of fire. So all that Edward could think to do, was face Mike. And fight back.


	13. Crawling

'**Kay, NotMixedEqually? This – "Mike is one seriously twisted little inhuman boy." Yeah. That. That **_**seriously**_** made my night. XD And the whimpering Kiwi. That was pretty awesome, too.**

**So, for those of you who haven't figured it out yet, or can't keep up or whichever…  
Mike equals Venom. Get it? The whole… revenge… thing? Yeah. I, um, definitely didn't pick up on that at first – it was completely leiahlaloa. Like, I wanted a Venom and all, but couldn't figure out how to factor him in. So thank **_**her**_** for that brilliant insight.**

**Billy Black is both like Norman Osborn **_**and**_** Doctor Octavius. Osborn in the sense of the power and money and drinking and being the father of Jake, Octavius in the way of the legs being the evil part – not the Billy.  
Jacob Black is a mix between Harry Osborn in the way that he's Billy's son and does his bidding – though in this story it's unwillingly – and the Sandman in the way that he's not a bad guy. He's doing bad things, but he's doing them for good reasons (i.e. stealing to keep Bella alive).**

**Oliver Manning is more like Uncle Ben than anyone. Kind of… Edward's role model, his mentor, and his guidance.**

**Obviously Bella is MJ and Edward slash Hero is Peter slash Spider-Man.**

**And now the plot will kind of separate from the Spider-Man-ness. It will become more of my own and less of SM. **

**So hopefully this clears my mind up for you? I'm really glad that this has been generally enjoyable and popular. You guys are amazing!! So here's another very long chapter. XD**

Chapter Ten  
_Crawling_

_Crawling in my skin  
These wounds they will not heal  
Fear is how I fall  
Confusing what is real_

Oliver didn't know how much time he had left. It was a frightening thing, not being able to see the future. All that he knew was that suddenly his visions were naught but blackness. Intimidating blackness, drowning his senses. It would happen tonight, and yet he didn't know _how_. Michael had just gone up to his room, disgruntled at Oliver's paternal actions. He wished that something he said would get through to the boy. But if the boy was a lost cause, there was no purpose to waste his energy on him. Edward was out for the night, thankfully. If something were going to happen here, he didn't want Edward in the middle of it. Oliver felt an overwhelming sadness poison his emotions. He might never see Edward again after this night.

Oliver's hand was quite literally flying across the piece of parchment now, and the blank paper quickly became filled with words of instruction, encouragement, and reassurance. He knew in the very pit of him that Edward could do this. Oliver finished the letter, signing his name with a flourish, and stuck the note in a book. Quicker than a human could bat an eyelash, Oliver slipped outside and up to his favorite branch in the sycamore tree. There, there was an old owl's hole where he placed the book carefully.

Oliver sighed in dismay and was about to leap from the tree to the ground when something peculiar caught his eye – Michael's bedroom window was flickering. Flickering as if… within there was… _fire_. But… it was impossible! Oliver was so careful to keep combustible objects _away_ from the house. Oliver hurried back to the house, entering, foolishly, through the front door to run up the stairs and find out what the devil was going on. And then, as he was halfway up the stairs, his vision came back.

Oliver saw nothing but a house engulfed in flames at first. But then, as his vision became clearer, he saw young Michael, squatting in a tree and glaring at the wooden foundation with a malicious smile stretched across his face. When the vision left Oliver, he paced over to the front window and watched in utter disappointment as Michael shimmied his way out of his bedroom window and into a tree next to the house.

Watching with a grim expression, Oliver saw Michael glare at his front door, and then it burst into flames.

The wood burned and charred and choked Oliver when he inhaled the smoke that was now emanating from the door. There were other exits, he thought hopefully. He could still escape this flaming deathtrap. But even as he thought this, more items in his home caught fire, surrounding him in a tight area. There was no escape.

Oliver vaguely recalled something he'd said to Edward, once.

_Not all of us are the good guys, Edward._ Clearly, he thought, _most_ weren't.

Oliver sighed in disgust at Michael's behavior. He would have to be destroyed. Soon. He hoped it was a task that Edward would execute with pleasure.

Oliver waited and waited for the fire to destroy him. But it seemed as if it would be a much longer, painful death than he'd hoped for. Sure, the flames were licking at his marble hard flesh right now – and it wouldn't be long before he'd be able to fully feel the burning of them – but the damage that each small flicker was impounding upon him was little. Michael had been clever – he'd have the physical pain to wait for, and the emotional pain as he watched Edward fight desperately for his life. Because Edward would surely return to the house, and Michael would wait for him to get here. Who knew? Perhaps Oliver would get lucky and die before Edward returned to the house.

Death would be something new, Oliver thought. He wondered what was coming now. It wasn't as if he were afraid, heavens no! Oliver had been waiting to die for many, many years now. It would just be different. Would it truly be just black, nothingness as Edward suspected? Or was there a heaven and a hell? Would Oliver be damned to an eternity of damaging flames? He would soon find out, he realized as more flames began to swallow his house.

Oliver remained at the window, trying to watch through the haze at what was going on outside this blazing inferno. After a moment, Edward came into view through the trees. _Edward,_ Oliver began, feeling more and more lightheaded as the flames painfully licked at his marble flesh. _Make sure you check the hole in the sycamore tree… I've left you something…_

Suddenly, Michael dropped from the branch that he'd been squatting on, moving into an offensive crouch. This was Edward's fight – his test. If he could beat Michael – beat _fire_ – he could beat anything. But, if Edward were going to fail, could Oliver sit by and watch? It wasn't as though he had much of a choice – either watch or die trying to escape the torrent of fire – but he couldn't do _nothing_. He wasn't sure what his impulsive gut would urge him to do, but the time to find out was coming close as the two began to choreograph a lethal dance. Oliver's eyes were glued to the scene before him when his sycamore tree was doused in flames. Edward looked to the tree in dismay, searching for the owl's hole.

_No! _Oliver thought weakly. _Don't risk it…_ But either his thoughts were not loud enough, or Edward was too stubborn – for the boy was scaling up the now deadly tree in the blink of an eye. Oliver watched in horror as the branch Edward was sitting on as he picked the wretched book out of the hole in the tree began to separate from the trunk, weak with the demolishing flame.

Edward fell right into an awaiting pit of fire.

* * *

_There's something inside me  
That pulls beneath the surface  
Consuming, confusing  
This lack of self-control I fear is never ending  
Controlling, I can't seem  
To find myself again_

Mike was furious beyond reasoning. Edward could practically see the steam coming out of his ears – or maybe that was just the surrounding smoke. The only way that Edward could make this a fair fight was if he bullied Mike into using his instincts rather than his newfound power.

"What, Mike? You're not _man_ enough to fight me with nothing but your hands?" Edward called over to him, feinting to the right. Mike glared at him with pure loathing in his brilliantly glowing, red eyes.

"I'm plenty _man_ enough, Cullen," he sneered, "but I'm also smart enough to realize that it would be _so _much _easier_ if I did." Then he lurched forward, taking a non-flaming swipe at Edward, which he dodged easily – seeing it in Mike's head before he took action.

Edward took his chance while he had it – Mike was still recovering from his aimless attack when Edward swung his left foot around, not a foot off the ground, and took out Mike behind his knees. And maybe Mike would have fallen flat on his back, the wind knocked out of him, if he weren't a vampire with unfathomably fast reflexes. As Mike was falling, he used his hands to flip him over and landed easily back on his feet, grinning like the menace he'd become all the while. Edward cursed under his breath – they were too evenly matched. Mike heard him and laughed. It wasn't the easy, carefree laugh that had once belonged to Mike Newton – it was more insane, yet restrained. As if he were trying to hold back the insanity.

Edward grasped that his latest maneuver had put him in close proximity with the sycamore tree that Oliver had earlier mentioned. He was about to move from the spot, to free it of the danger of fire, when he saw it burst into flame twice – first in Mike's head, and then before his own eyes.

Looking back at the tree, Edward realized that whatever Oliver had left him was in there. He didn't know what it was, or where it was, but he knew that he wanted it.

_No! Don't risk it!_ Oliver's thoughts sounded so feeble, so frail – there couldn't be much time left. Edward wished that he could find him, save him from this untimely fate. But Mike was keeping his hands full. Without taking a second longer to think it over, Edward clambered up the tree trunk as quickly as if he'd flown. He rested on the branch that Oliver would normally sit upon. With a pang, Edward remembered all the times that he'd sat on that branch talking to Edward with his thoughts. But there wasn't time to reminisce, and Edward reached into the owl's hole, pulling out a worn copy of Robert Frost's Poems. There was a piece of paper marking one of the pages, but Edward didn't have time to look at it. A gentle cracking told him that the branch was about to give way under him. Edward tucked the book in the waistband of his pants and prepared to leap away from the fiery pit that resided underneath his perch, but even as his muscles bunched to spring, the heat of the flames was suddenly all he could feel.

_I'm dead…_ Edward found himself thinking for the second time in his existence. _I have to die now…_ The flames were relentlessly stinging his marble flesh, biting at him with no clear intent on stopping.

From a very distant place, Edward heard Mike laugh. "Look at it this way, Edward," came his harsh voice over the crackling fire. "Hell will be easy after this. You won't have to endure any more physical pain. But, instead, you can spend the rest of eternity thinking about the love of _my_ life." Then, in a much more dangerous tone, "You don't deserve her. Why should you have her? Why should she pick _you_ when she can have _me?_" Edward's head was promptly filled with intimate images of Bella and Mike, entwined in ways that should be illegal. For Mike, at least.

A heat was rising in Edward, now, that had nothing to do with the flames. Then, quietly – so quietly he thought he might have imagined it – Oliver's thoughts came through the fire.

_Fight… back_…

A growl was building deep in Edward's chest. The grumble was drowning out the jeering crackle of the fire and Edward could feel his eyes blackening. He would let the monster within him win out this time – he would not let Mike Newton win.

With a vengeance he'd never fathomed being able to feel, Edward threw himself away from the fire pit. The cool, night air stung his wounds, but he paid them no attention. They would heal, in time. Edward landed lightly on his feet, right in front of Mike, and wasted no time in hitting, pulling, tearing, and destroying every part of him that he could reach.

He'd managed to yank one of Mike's fingers from his hand before Mike got the sense to fight back. Hissing, he threw his hand at Edward's face, intending to hit him. But Edward got the gist of his intentions from his thoughts and was prepared. He caught Mike's hand with his teeth and bit down. Hard.

Mike let out a deafening roar and tried to yank his hand away from Edward. All that he did was make dismembering the hand from the rest of his body that much easier. Edward threw the vile body part into the flames and turned back to his quarry. There was fear and indecision in Mike's claret eyes.

_If I stay… he could kill me…_ But Mike wanted _so_ badly to try to kill Edward, that he wasn't sure what to do.

Fight or flight? To continue trying to destroy Edward, or leave while he still had the chance? And just as Edward recognized the internal dilemma that Mike was facing, the boy turned and fled like a coward into the trees, leaving a scene of utter destruction behind him.

As soon as Edward was sure that Mike would not come back, he loped delicately over to the house, wincing as his clothes rubbed against his burns.

"Oliver! OLIVER!" Edward yelled at the house, waiting for some kind of response. He looked for Oliver's thoughts, desperately searching for his comrade, but was greeted with a loud silence. Oliver was gone.

Edward sank to his knees, unsure of what to do. Oliver – his teacher, his mentor, his _father_ – was… was… _dead_. It didn't seem practical to Edward. He'd come to regard Oliver as somewhat invincible. How could a thing like fire take him down so easily?

Right on cue, the storm clouds overhead let out a mighty rumble and Edward flinched when a raindrop landed on his skin with a soft _pat_. Edward numbly marveled at being able to feel the iciness of the water. The flames had softened his flesh enough for him to temporarily feel. It would go away, he knew. He would heal before the sun rose – physically. Edward didn't know how he was going to continue living without Oliver. More raindrops landed delicately on his arms, his hair, and his cheeks. He stared at the house as, slowly, the rain put out the fire around him and cried the tears that he could not.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there, watching in vain hope for Oliver to burst from the front door and jovially congratulate Edward on surviving the flames. All he knew was that at some point, morning broke across the horizon.

Edward pushed his way into the burnt house, morbidly curious to see what had become of the dwelling.

As he looked around, the sadness overwhelmed him. Some of the furniture was still burning idly, and the walls were blackened from the damaging flames. The truly horrifying sight, though, was Oliver's body. There he was, sitting by the window, as if he'd been looking out – watching Edward fight off death. Oliver's body was cooked, that much was plain to see. The once so white flesh was nothing but a black, charred exterior now. Everything about him was dead. His body was completely broken beyond repair, and Edward reached forward to touch the blackened corpse. The worst part was that the body was still sitting in the rocking chair by the front window in a seemingly serene position. His arms rested on the armrest, and his legs were crossed at the knees. His head was tilted out, looking directly across the lawn where his sycamore tree had once stood so tall. As Edward crouched down in front of his dead friend, the book that had been waiting for him in the owl's nest fell from his waistband.

Edward picked it up, cautiously and flipped open to the thick paper that marked a page. The poem that the parchment indicated was "The Road Not Taken." Edward frowned in confusion. He was familiar with the poem. He'd had to study it in his English class last year. He quickly skimmed over the stanzas and then regarded the note. The handwriting was loopy and elegant and so obviously Oliver's that Edward felt himself smile.

_Edward,_ it began:

_I do not know how much time remains with me. My future has suddenly appeared black, and there's no way for me to decipher how I am going to die. I want you to read this poem and really think about it. It's important, trust me._

_I understand that you've got a lot to think about, my friend. The girl that you've long loved has just admitted her love to your other persona. I just want you to understand that your life is what you make it. Do what _you_ think is the right thing. I trust your judgment, and I know you trust mine. Trust _your_ judgment, Edward. And think of Bella as the road less traveled by. Yes, you need to take into account what your head, your gut, and your _instincts _tell you to, but… listen to your heart, as well, friend. The desires of such an important thing in your life should not be unheard._

_Take care, Edward. I know you can fulfill the destiny that I so selfishly created for you. But you can be a _person_ as well. Don't miss me! I'm off to bigger and better things._

_You will always be a son to me,  
Oliver_

Edward's hand shook as he read and reread the letter. _Think of Bella as the road less traveled by._ What did that mean? He read the poem again and comprehension dawned on him as he read the last stanza. _"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."_

It clicked. Edward understood – or at least, he _thought_ he did – what Oliver was trying to tell him. He knew it was early in the morning, so he would wait a few hours – maybe he would hunt while he waited, just to be extra cautious. But then, he knew precisely where he was going to go.

Whether Oliver had meant for him to go to her or not.

* * *

_My walls are closing in  
Without a sense of confidence  
And I'm convinced that  
There's just too much pressure to take  
I've felt this way before,  
So insecure_

Saturday was Bella and Alice's movie day. It had been for the last four years, and it would continue to be until college. So when Bella heard the doorbell ring at eleven thirty in the morning, she knew exactly who was on the other side.

"I'm SO SORRY!" Alice rushed Bella the moment she was through the door, clinging to her with her frail arms.

"Uh…" Bella started. What was Alice sorry about? Did she know that there was a mad scientist after her and a werewolf in love with her while she was pining after a vampire who, clearly, didn't return the feelings that she thought he had? Hero's reaction, last night, had confused Bella to no end. She thought she'd seen desire in his eyes, but when she had made a move, he had shut down completely, not even telling her whether or not he loved her back – whether or not her love was unrequited or returned with an intensity that she couldn't fathom. Though she hadn't admitted it, it had cut her deep. It was the same pain she'd felt when Edward left her.

But if Alice had figured out all the drama that was going on in Bella's life, she was better than Nancy Drew!

"Charlie told my mom and dad this morning. Emmett's really, really upset. I've never seen him like this before." Oh. Now Bella understood. Alice was talking about Mike. She rolled her eyes and shrugged away from her friend.

"Oh, Alice. We have a lot to talk about…" Alice looked at her with a perplexed expression. Bella sighed. "Pop in the movie and I'll make some popcorn. Then we'll talk, okay?" Because movie day had never been about actually watching the movies. It was merely an excuse to get some girl time and get away from the hectic lives they had with their boyfriends. Er, well, ex-boyfriends in Bella's case.

Alice obliged and Bella threw a bag of popcorn in the microwave, letting her thoughts wander back to last night. She found herself almost hoping that the majority of it had been a dream. She'd been rejected by the guy she loved, the guy that she could kind of start to like as a friend had admitted that he loved her – or so he thought – and she found out that a madman was using her as a threat to his son – whom he'd made a werewolf! It was much too much for Bella. In fact, she wasn't sure how much more she could take.

When the popping slowed, Bella took the bag out of the microwave and emptied it into a big party bowl. Then she meandered on over to Alice to look at the movie she'd picked.

"Ugh, Alice, Underworld? Isn't that a bit gory?" Alice shrugged and Bella rolled her eyes. She had no idea what Alice's obsession with the blood and guts movies were.

"It's that or 300," she smirked. Bella rolled her eyes again and sighed. Okay, Underworld would do – 300 was much, much gorier.

As she'd intended to, Bella turned to talk to Alice. She planned to fill her in on everything. But the opening narration of the movie caught her attention.

_"The war had all but ground to a halt in the blink of an eye. Lucien, the most feared and ruthless leader ever to rule the lycan clan had finally been killed. The lycan hoard scattered in the wind in a single evening of flame and retribution. Victory, it seemed, was in our grasp the very birthright of the vampires. Nearly six centuries had passed since that night yet the ancient blood feud proved unwilling to follow Lucian to the grave. Though lycans were fewer in number, the war itself had become more perilous, for the moon no longer held her sway. Older, more powerful lycans were now able to change at will. The weapons had evolved, but our orders remained the same: Hunt them down and kill them off, one by one – a most successful campaign, perhaps too successful. For those like me, a death dealer, it signaled the end of an era. Like the weapons of the previous century, we, too, would become obsolete. Pity – because I lived for it."_

Bella watched Kate Beckinsale jump gracefully from a balcony, and for the next hour and a half she could not tear her eyes from the TV screen. She watched as vampire and werewolf killed each other as if it were a game. She endured the terrible gore, trying to deepen her knowledge of vampires and werewolves – the monsters that she'd once dressed up like at Halloween. But it all seemed so absurd! Silver bullets and the sunlight acting as a poison? Surely not. It seemed less and less believable by the minute, but by the end of the movie, Bella was utterly terrified to see Hero again. And yet – she lived for the moment that their lips had met, she yearned to touch his cold, marble flesh again. And she shuddered at the thought of Jacob Black killing him. But, another unbearable thought was what if Hero killed Jacob Black? Bella found herself feeling torn between the two enemies. Sure, she loved Hero – the vampire – but would she be able to look at him with the same love if he killed Jacob – the werewolf? It was an impossible decision to make hypothetically, but she didn't dare wish to find out for fear that her wish would come true.

Alice laughed at the gore, lightheartedly, but Bella found it disturbing. This could be going on, right now, as they sat here, not a care in the world. Finally, Kate Beckinsale sliced some guy's head in half, and the whole movie started to end. Alice turned to Bella.

"Okay, your turn to pick-the-flick." She chirped, popping another piece of popcorn into her mouth. Bella absentmindedly tossed a DVD in the player and turned to talk to Alice. She needed her best friend's opinion. But when she opened her mouth to start talking, Alice groaned.

"Spider-Man? Really, Bella, you're getting way, way into the whole, super hero thing, aren't you?" Bella grinned, bashfully. See? Even her subconscious was telling her she loved a hero.

"Alice," she started, finally. "I really need to talk to you, now."

Alarmed at her friend's abrupt change of tone, Alice turned her full attention to Bella. "Yeah, hey, what's wrong? Is this about… Mike?"

Now Bella grimaced at the assumption. "No. It's not. Well… I guess it kind of is, but not the way you think!" Alice looked bemused, so Bella continued. "Look. Remember Hero?" Alice nodded, enthusiastically. Who didn't remember her story of the mystery man who'd saved her life? "Well… I've talked to him. Like, really talked to him. And… I found some… stuff out."

"Stuff like…?" Alice prompted, still confused.

"Okay. You're going to think I'm totally crazy, but just hear me out, all right? I'm not crazy, and I'm not lying. You're not on Punk'd or Candid Camera or any other games show. This is real, and it's scaring me, and I need your advice."

Alice looked completely horrified now. "Bella," she started, seriously, "whatever it is you need to say, I am taking you completely seriously. Okay?"

Bella swallowed and nodded. She hoped Alice could take this…

"Alice – he… Hero… he's a… a vampire."

There was a moment of silence during which Alice looked at her friend critically. Then there was a second where she looked like she was about to burst out laughing, but stopped herself at the terrified look in Bella's eyes. Another minute of silence passed, Bella waiting patiently for Alice to process what she'd said. Finally, her voice shaking with repressed emotion, she spoke:

"Okay…" she said, closing her eyes with something like irritation. "And… why do you believe this?"

"He told me," Bella answered simply.

"Yes, but why do you believe him? Can't he just be some guy with a gimmick to get him locally famous or whatever? Why does he have to be a vampire just because he told you he is?" It was obvious that Alice was skeptical.

"Alice, you haven't seen him. He's not like a normal person. And, his skin's cold, his eyes are red, he's super strong. He beat out a werewolf the last time I – "

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! A werewolf? Where did the werewolf come from?!"

"Well, a crazy scientist guy made his son a werewolf so that he could do his dirty work. That's the other thing – the werewolf is in love with me, so his dad is threatening me to get him to do bad things. Like, stealing and…" Bella couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Killing.

The expression that now covered Alice's face would have been comical if it hadn't been such a serious situation. Her mouth was wide open and her eyebrows were raised so high that they disappeared under her short hair.

"Bella…" she started, warily, "Have you been doing drugs? LCD? Cocaine? Smoking pot? Shooting heroine? Drugs are bad, Bella. They mess up your head…"

Bella sighed in exasperation. Alice didn't believe her. She should've known better – no one would believe her unless they experienced the situation first hand and, as far as she knew, she was the only one who had.

"Okay, okay," Alice said, catching on to her friend's hopeless mood swing. "Let's just pretend I believed you for a minute. Let's say, theoretically, that Hero drinks blood and stalks the night, avoiding the sun at all costs because he'd burn up into nothing. He sleeps in coffins and can transform into a bat. Your beloved Hero shies away from garlic and crucifixes, but he can beat up a werewolf and four rapists in a matter of seconds. Okay. Now what? Is he a hero or a villain? Because, frankly, I think that anyone who drinks blood is very much so a villain."

Again, Bella sighed and caught her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn't know what to think. "All of that sounds so… preposterous, though. I see the guy in my head, and I try to picture him drinking someone's life away and I… I can't. He's so good that I cannot picture him doing anything bad. Not even to keep himself alive."

Alice shook her head in disbelief. "Bella, I think you're losing it. I think the guilt is driving you mad. But it's okay! It wasn't your fault Mike died! I mean… some people might feel guilty for breaking a dead person's heart hours before they died, but you shouldn't. He didn't believe you about Hero and the rapists. Hah," she laughed, suddenly sidetracked. "That totally sounds like a band."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Attention deficit disorder, much?"

The grin slid off Alice's face. "Okay, fine. Forgive me for trying to lighten the mood."

"The mood doesn't need to be lightened, Alice! You need to look at this with an open mind! What if I'm actually telling you the truth?"

Alice pursed her lips, stubbornly. "Because, Bella. It's not something I want to believe in. Monsters and mad scientists? I stopped looking under my bed for those years ago. It's not exactly a time I want to revisit."

Bella was shaking her head. "But they're not monsters. They're… good. Or, at least, they've got good intentions. I don't think either of them wants to do any bad. In fact – that's why the vampire's fighting crime, I'll bet. He's trying to make up for who he is. Neither of them chose this life. Why should they be forced to live it in solitude? I think that all they really want is someone to connect with…"

"So you're going to be the one to 'connect' with them?"

Bella bit her lip, preparing herself for Alice's next reaction. "I kissed Hero last night."

"You WHAT?!" Alice screeched, a mixture of delighted enthusiasm and horror crossing her face. So maybe she did believe her, after all…

Bella nodded, smiling and giving in to her girl side for once. "Alice, it was incredible. And he didn't even do anything! And… there's something else…" she eyed Alice with apprehension for a second, but Alice showed nothing but curiosity. "I think – I know – I'm in love with him." And there was the disapproval.

"Bella," Alice snapped. "You just met him. And what about Mike? Don't you love him?"

There it went with Mike again! What was it going to take to get people to believe that she-was-not-in-love-with-Mike-Newton?!

"I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH MIKE!" she unnecessarily screamed at Alice's face. That should do it. Her friend's eyes widened in shock, and Bella felt minutely bad about shouting at her. "I'm sorry. I'm just… so sick of everyone thinking that. Alice… I was never in love with Mike. He was just a distraction. A decoy from the guy I really loved." Oops. She hadn't meant to say that. Now it was really going to be confession time.

"'Really love'? Who do you really love?"

Well. Now was as good a time as any to get it out and into the air. "Did," she corrected solemnly. "Who did I really love."

Alice's face was full of sudden understanding. "Oh… my… God," she whispered. "Edward? You loved Edward?"

The name brought a stabbing pain to Bella's heart that she was quickly becoming familiar with. "Yeah. Ever… ever since he saved me from drowning when we were little."

"Bella!" Alice's voice was surprised beyond belief. "You've loved him for years! Why didn't you ever tell him? Why didn't you ever make a move?"

"Because… he didn't show any interest in me. And I didn't want to feel rejected…"

"It was Edward," Alice informed her, rolling her eyes. "He's way, way too shy to make the first move. He was probably more afraid of feeling rejected than you were. You'd have a reason to shoot him down. I mean, not that you would. But, through his eyes, we're in a completely different league than he is. He would never have held hope for being able to win you. Oh, God, Bella, why didn't you tell me this sooner? I could have told you all this before… before…" she let her sentence hang, but they both knew what she'd been about to say. Before it was too late. "But… um… anyway. Wh- why do you think you're in love with Hero?" Alice quickly changed the subject, and for that Bella was grateful.

"Oh, Alice," she started. "The only other time I've felt a connection so strong was with… was with…" She didn't need to finish. There was a moment of utter silence – nothing to listen for but the sounds of glass shattering emanating from the speakers of the TV while Peter Parker fought with Doctor Octavius – before Alice spoke again.

"Bella," her voice was so quiet it was hard to hear. "I believe you."

And just as Bella was about to tell Alice how much that meant to her, the doorbell rang.

"Ugh," Alice groaned. "Hopefully that's not Emmett… he wanted me to go to some monster truck show with him today, but I was hoping that he'd cancel with the news of Mike's… tragedy."

Bella smirked as she stood to answer the door. The movie was still playing as if nothing that had just passed between Bella and Alice had happened. It was the part where Mary Jane finally found out that Spider-Man was Peter. The realization on her face was disconcerting as she took in that Peter – the man she'd suspected she loved – was Spider-Man – the man she knew she loved. The scene afterwards, when Peter told Mary Jane that they couldn't be together for her safety, choked Bella up every time. It was a good thing there was a door to be answered.

Or so she thought.

Bella grasped the knob in her hand, and its cold, hard texture sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine. Everything would remind her of Hero if she was always thinking about him. Bella opened the door and almost slammed it shut again.

Frozen with shock, she tried to coerce her brain to take in what it was seeing. There, standing on her front porch, leaning against the doorway… With a sober expression, closed eyes, and copper, bronze hair… looking more perfect than she'd ever remembered him looking… standing there… no illusion… right there in front of her was Edward Cullen.

Bella felt her eyes bugging out of her head, she felt that her jaw had practically dislocated from her skull, she felt the blood drain from her face, and she felt her heart begin to thump wildly against her rib cage.

"Bella?" Alice called from the front living room. "Bella, who is it?" But, of course, Bella could not answer.

At the sound of Alice's voice, though, Edward's eyes opened. And they were most definitely not the emerald green eyes that she'd grown so accustomed to. Quite the contrary, actually. Edward's eyes were the perfect complementary color of his green ones – the exact opposite of the strands that she'd memorized. They were the blazing, scarlet, ruby-red eyes of Hero that blinked up at her.

It was all too much to take in – Bella could feel herself slipping away. This. Was. Not. Possible. Edward… was… Hero?

Bella's head felt light and funny, and her eyes rolled back into her head as her feet slipped out from under her and she fell into darkness.

* * *

_Discomfort, endlessly  
Has pulled itself upon me  
Distracting, reacting  
Against my will I stand  
Beside my own reflection  
It's haunting how I can't seem  
To find myself again_

Jacob did not get a wink of sleep that night. He tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position in which he would not have to think. It was too hard, and he was succumbed to thinking about what he'd just done.

It was obvious he'd frightened Bella. To just come out and say that he was a werewolf – what was he thinking? Now she'd never talk to him again. He was a fool to think that she'd understand. This wasn't the life a high school kid should be forced to live – this was the life of a horror movie. It wasn't fair. Why had this happened to him? Oh, right, because his selfish, egomaniac of a father had made it happen to him. Jacob let a shudder of rage rack through his body before he calmed himself again, trying to relax so that he could sleep…

He highly doubted he would be sleeping anytime soon.

Jacob sighed, feeling his breath make the pillow hot. He glanced at the clock: one-thirty. Five and a half hours till sunrise, when his father would make him wake up and go do something else that was completely unethical. Jacob thought back to last night. He'd robbed a bank just before he'd gone to see Bella. Though, the only thing he could remember was filling a sack with money. The rest of the task had been the deed of the beast inside of him – the beast that took over when he had to be a wolf. Jacob hated that beast – loathed it with all of his being. That beast had no morals. It would do anything to get its way, no matter whom it had to kill. And the worst part was, Jacob couldn't control it. It was not he in the body of the wolf – it was a monster. Like there was another personality in Jacob's mind, always dying to escape. And when he shifted into a wolf, it was like it finally got its reprisal, and now there were no rules, no limitations – the sky was the limit.

And what Jacob feared more than anything else that he'd experienced in the last few weeks, was how good it felt to let the monster out of its cage.


	14. Sunshine

**Okay, this chapter's not as long. Sorry! But they can't _all_ be twelve pages...**

**It was also probably the hardest chapter I've ever had to write in my life. So... yeah. Hope it's alright.**

**It's incredible how much success the last chapter had compared to the rest of the story - nineteen reviews just because Edward revealed himself? Dang... XD**

**And, FYI, the song lyrics _aren't_ pointless. I actually search for a deeper meaning in them to relate them to the segment of the chapter that I put them in. This song, especially, relates to this chapter. **

**Okay, sorry for the author's note. Here's your chapter.**

Chapter Eleven  
_Sunshine_

_I'll never let you stand alone,  
You'll always have my hand to hold  
Our lengthy talks never get old  
You're gonna change the world, you know._

Edward stepped forward with lightening fast reflexes to stop Bella from hitting the floor. Carefully, he held her limp, unconscious body in his arms, feeling guilty for how much he liked touching her soft, warm skin. Bella's head rolled uncontrollably on her neck – she was out cold.

Silently cursing himself for not thinking of a better way to have done this, Edward crossed the threshold of the house, gently carrying Bella to the living room couch. He was perfectly aware that Alice was here, too. At first, when he'd come, he had been about to turn around and wait out Alice's visit. But then Bella told Alice _everything_ that had been going on of late, and he figured – why not?

But he should have realized that Bella wouldn't take this well. After all, it was _Bella_. And he was Edward. And he was supposed to be _dead_. Of course she would freak out if he simply came up to the front door as his – supposedly – deceased self.

"Bella?" Alice's voice wavered with nervousness. _Why isn't she answering? Oh, God, is the house being robbed? Doesn't Charlie have a baseball bat around here somewhere?_

Edward smiled with dark humor at the thought of how much good a baseball bat would do against him. Taking a deep breath to prepare himself for his cousin's reaction, Edward turned into the living room.

Alice was sitting on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in her lap, staring warily at the opening that led to the front hall. When Edward suddenly appeared there with a dead-looking Bella, all pretenses were lost, and Alice was freaking out.

"AHH!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "AHH! AHH!" The high-pitched screeching was echoed in her head, and no coherent thoughts were discernable. Before Edward knew what was happening, the bowl of popcorn was flying through the air, and something was tugging vaguely at Bella.

"Wh-wh-what have you DONE?" Alice wailed, staring in horror at Bella's face. "Don't hurt me, please don't hurt me!" She began pleading, suddenly backing away from Edward. Everything was happening so fast, he didn't know where to look next – and that was saying something.

And then, Alice finally looked at his face.

If Edward had thought Alice was in hysterics before, he was sorely mistaken.

Alice's jaw dropped and her eyes popped. Her lips were white with fear, and her heart rate was positively racing. Edward tried to look completely unthreatening, lowering his eyes so she could not see the red. If Alice didn't calm down, she might have a heart attack.

"Alice…" he spoke very softly, trying with all his might not to alarm his cousin. Her thoughts were racing and so bewildered that very profane, offensive language was being used. Edward knew that Esme would never have approved of that. "Alice, it's all right. I'm not going to hurt you, Alice. I'm here to talk."

Tears were in Alice's eyes, brimming over the edges of her eyelids. Her mouth was still agape, and her face was still stark white. But her pulse was slowing – even if it was almost imperceptibly so.

"I'm sorry!" she said at once, and it was Edward's turn to be bewildered. She seemed to be voicing her thoughts _as_ she thought of them, because Edward had no preparation for what came out of her mouth next. "I'm sorry I wasn't as sad as Bella, I'm sorry I called you a 'liability' when your parents first died, I'm sorry I wasn't as respectful as I should have been, and I'm so, _so_ sorry I wasn't nicer to you while you were alive. But please, _please_," she begged, her tone beseeching, "don't haunt me forever."

Edward stared at her for a moment, blinking stupidly. Then his face split into the first real grin that he'd smiled for quite some time. Alice thought he was a ghost! Oh, the irony. Being a ghost might even be better than this damnation of a life that he was forced to exist in. He was still smiling when Alice's thoughts became understandable again.

_What is he _smiling_ about? Oh, no. He thinks it's funny I'm afraid! He's going to haunt me forever! Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no! What's wrong with Bella? Why hasn't she moved? Is she…?_

The smile was finally wiped straight off of Edward's face.

"She's not dead," he said, and he had to try hard not to growl. Edward swiftly made his way over to the couch and tenderly, cautiously lay Bella down. "She fainted when she saw me."

"W-w-well that's u-understandable," Alice stammered, her back pressed to the wall furthest away from Edward. _What is he?_

Edward turned sharply to look Alice straight in the eye. "I thought Bella had literally _just_ covered that with you."

It took Alice one, short instant to catch on. "No. She was just saying how this guy, Hero, was a… a…" Alice's eyes, impossibly, widened. "No way…" she mouthed. "You're… but… dead… he's… vampire… and… Hero! Edward?" Finally, she seemed to gather the information into one, intelligible question. "_You're a vampire?_"

Edward sighed heavily. "Yes."

Alice put her fingers to her temples and pressed hard. _Am I dreaming? This has got to be a nightmare… Edward? A vampire? He's dead. He died a month ago, and that's that. This is all a dream, and I'm going to wake up… now! No? Now! Aww, c'mon, Alice!_

As humorous as Edward found Alice's frantic thoughts to convince herself that she was asleep, he figured he might want to set her in the right direction. "You're not dreaming and you won't wake up. And if you continue to push your pressure points like that, you're going to get a mighty headache," Edward pointed out, logically. Slowly, Alice lowered her hands.

"I… I didn't say that out loud, did I?" she asked, still frightened to the point of no return. Alice's back was pushed up against the back wall so hard that it might split behind her at any moment.

Edward sighed, again. "No. You didn't. Some… of _us_ have special powers. Like me. I can… read minds."

For a moment, Edward worried that he would have _two_ unconscious girls on his hands, as Alice looked very unbalanced on her own two feet at this piece of information. _Some of _us?_ There's more of them? And what's he doing here? It's daytime. Why isn't he sleeping? And what about the blood-sucking thing? Why isn't he feeding on us instead of making casual conversation? Is this all some big, huge joke that _everyone's_ in on except for me?_

Yet another sigh escaped Edward's lips. "Can we wait until Bella's awake to answer questions? I'd rather not repeat myself…"

Fear, again, drowned Alice's pixie-like facial features, and she nodded, hurriedly, as if she were afraid she would upset Edward by answering too slowly.

Edward leaned over Bella's face and he heard Alice's heart rate increase, yet again. "Alice," he murmured just loud enough so that she would be able to hear him. "You can calm down. I wouldn't dream of hurting her in any way." He heard her swallow, then, and take a few deep, shuddering breaths. He smiled to himself before continuing the awakening of Bella.

As gently as if he were waking a baby, Edward placed his cold palm on Bella's porcelain cheek. Her skin was so warm, and the pulse of blood under the tissue was as tempting as ever. But, for once, Bella's blood was the last thing on Edward's mind. He was so worried that she would not wake. Sure, she hadn't hit her head, but wasn't it possible for her mind to want to protect itself so much that it would submerse into a coma? Edward wasn't positive, but he thought he recalled hearing something of that nature before. "Bella?" he whispered softly, pushing his fingers into her soft, mahogany hair. "Bella, wake up."

He thought he saw her eyelids flicker a bit. "Bella, I've got to talk to you. Please, Bella, wake up." She didn't stir. Though he kept a calm exterior, internally Edward was frantic with worry. Before thinking it through all the way, Edward bent down and pressed his icy lips to Bella's forehead. He let them linger there for a moment, and Bella's seductive scent was not a threat to her life at all, right now. He smiled at his triumph before leaning away, again.

When he opened his own eyes, he was relieved and nervous to see her deep, fathomless brown eyes staring back at him.

* * *

_I know you're scared, but so am I.  
We can read each other's minds  
Through the windows in our eyes  
You know, you've got a lot of light.  
And I said, "Hey, Sunshine, don't you get yourself upset."  
You've given more than the world may ever know  
So tilt your head towards the sun, you've got brighter days ahead  
Don't you worry that your life will be cut short._

When Bella came to, all she heard was a soft, pleading voice. She couldn't make out the words, and she didn't know why it sounded so desperate. In fact, the only thing that she was absolutely positive about was that it was _his_ voice.

So, it hadn't been a dream, she thought with a fleeting sense of liberation and at the same time, humiliation. Edward Cullen really had come to her house. Edward Cullen _wasn't_ really dead. Edward Cullen was a vampire… was Hero. He was still here. Oh, God. Bella had admitted her undying love to him – twice! And both times, he had not said it back. Oh, _crap!_ Granted, the first time he had "died", but the second time? There was no excuse. How could she have been such a fool? Of course her love would be unrequited, of course someone so wonderful as Edward would never see her as anything more than an ordinary, accident-prone, clumsy, _foolish_ girl!

"Bella, wake up," came his honey-smooth voice of reason.

At first, Bella did not open her eyes – why should she destroy this dream? – but then Edward did something that changed _every_thing. He kissed her. Sure, it wasn't a fiery, passionate lip-lock, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was his lips that were softly caressing her head. Her eyes snapped open, and the kaleidoscope of ruby stranded eyes that gazed back had her immediately hypnotized.

There was something to be said about the unusual beauty of the crimson color. It had always been green that Bella associated with Edward, but the red color suited him… in a way. Of course, it was still unsettling. Scarlet eyes were highly unnatural, and they looked so menacing. But there was a kindness about them that… kindled something inside of Bella's soul. Some long-lost emotion or hope. Something she hadn't fully felt since the night Edward "died."

She was looking in _his_ eyes. That was what was going on. It was something she'd felt stirring inside of her whenever she talked to, looked at, or even _thought_ about Hero. But now that she knew these eyes belonged to Edward, the full power of the emotion hit her like a blow to her head – the full power of the love she'd kept so bottled up.

Bella barely had time to register the serious, relieved look that was playing across Edward's perfect face. She immediately threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself up to crush her lips to his. If she could _feel_ surprise, she supposed that was Edward's instant reaction. But as she kissed him so intensely, she felt him relax from the stiffness that he'd practiced the last time when kissing her. Instead of pushing her away this time, Edward kissed her back.

The result of the mutual passion was earth shattering. Edward's lips, so cold and hard against hers, caused a reaction like none she'd _ever_ experienced with Mike Newton. It was like a volcano erupted somewhere within her, letting out all the pent up lust that she'd been feeling for the past six years. She couldn't think, she couldn't talk, she couldn't even form a comprehensible thought. All that Bella knew was that she wanted _more_. She wanted more Edward than she'd ever wanted Mike. But even as she thought this, opening her mouth to nudge Edward's lips apart with her tongue, she finally got the response that he'd had last time. Edward's lips stopped moving, and it was like kissing stone, then. He found her hands, which were latched around the back of his neck, still, and carefully unattached them. Even as Edward ripped himself from her, Bella could see that he was panting, and his eyes had grown darker with the extent of the passion.

It took Bella a moment to realize how lightheaded she'd become. And, to add to that, she was gasping for air as if she'd been underwater for a full minute. "Edward…" she whispered in between breaths. He held up a hand, motioning for her to wait.

"Um. Bella?" came a timid voice. The wariness of the familiar tone was what caught Bella off guard – Alice was normally so sure of herself. But now she sounded scared and insecure and _meek_. "Bella? What's happening? What's going on?" Her voice was going up octaves with every word, and she was close to tears. Bella looked over at Alice and smiled – truly smiled – at her best friend.

"Don't worry, Alice," she said with conviction. "It's fine. Everything is alright."

"On the contrary, Bella," came the silky smooth voice of Edward Cullen, "everything is not alright. That's why I've come."

Bella felt her heart sink. Something was wrong. That's why Edward had come. Not because he wanted to see Bella, wanted her to know he was alive, but because something was _wrong_. Her love was unrequited, after all.

"Oh," she felt herself mouth. She made no effort to contain the disappointment on her face and she felt herself starting to blush. She'd just attacked him, and he didn't even like her! Well… not like _that_. Not the way she wanted him to like her.

She heard Edward sigh, but refused to meet his eyes, humiliation constantly haloing around her. "Alice," he said, "could you come over here, too? I suppose you should know as well, now that you're in on my little… secret."

Bella heard Alice let out a slightly hysterical laugh. "I don't think so, buddy. I don't want to be a part of your vampire army _or_ your next meal! Go eat Emmett! He's been getting on my nerves lately…"

Bella finally looked up to Alice's eyes. "Alice, come over here," she said very calmly. She mentally congratulated herself for not letting her voice shake even once. Alice stared back with pleading eyes, but Bella kept a poker face, and Alice finally trudged over to sit on the couch next to her. Bella took a minute to compose herself again, and then she forced herself to look into Edward's eyes.

"Okay, Edward. What's wrong?"

Edward stared at her, incredulously, for a moment. He blinked at her, and then he frowned in concentration, or frustration, or some other frown-able emotion. Clearly it wasn't love or happiness or any _useful_ emotions that Bella wanted him to be having while he looked into her eyes.

"Don't you have questions?" he finally asked the two girls, making a point to look at Alice, too.

"Questions?" Alice squeaked, still scared out of her skin. "What's there to question? Are you a monster who stalks the night and kills babies? _Yes_. Okay. Interrogation over. Can I leave now?"

"Alice," Bella complained, nudging her in the ribs with her elbow. But she was slightly curious. How _was_ Edward out in the daytime? And – she shuddered – did he kill people? As curious as she _was_, she was also terrified to find out the truth.

Edward didn't crack a grin as he stood in front of the two girls, one ashamed for kissing him, the other about to pee her pants from fright. "I don't kill people. I don't stalk the night. Garlic, crucifixes, and Holy water don't bother me either. Sorry if that puts a damper in any of your escape plans," he added with a harsh look at Alice. It was obvious she'd been thinking of ways to get out.

"Please!" Alice scoffed. "You don't kill people? Isn't that what a vampire _is_? Isn't _that_ the sole, defining trait?"

Edward's mouth curved up into a beautiful twisted smile. "No. I don't kill _people_." It took Bella a minute to get it, even with the extra emphasis on "people".

"You can live off of animals?" she finally concluded, perplexed.

Edward's wry grin widened, and his perfect teeth flashed. "Yes. According to Ol- er… my 'teacher,' the animal blood isn't as fulfilling as a human's blood is. But it would be far worse to go through eternity with people's lives sitting on your conscience." And Bella understood. He really _was_ a good vampire. An angel. There was no way he was really the monster he claimed to be.

There was a moment of silence, and then Edward sighed, exasperated. "We don't sleep in coffins. We don't sleep at all, and even if we did it surely wouldn't be in a coffin. We have _taste_ you know. Just because we're monsters doesn't mean we don't like to kick up our feet and get _comfortable_."

Bella looked at Edward with obvious confusion. Where had that come from? Why did he just start ranting about sleeping habits?

"You _can't_ _sleep_?" Alice asked, incredulous. Edward merely shook his head.

"Wait…" Bella said, putting the pieces together as if it were a puzzle. In fact, she decided, that's exactly what Edward was – one big puzzle. And there were so many pieces; she doubted she'd ever be able to put them all together. Even if she had, oh, say, _eternity_ to _try_. "You can read minds?" She felt the heat creep back into her cheeks when his piercing gaze met hers and he nodded. How much had he heard?

But Edward was still frowning at her when he next spoke. "I can read any person's mind – male, female, mortal, immortal – except yours, Bella." His brow creased, and Bella felt the surprise on her face. "It's like when I try," he began to explain, "there's a fence, keeping me out. Like it's… it's _guarded_."

Bella let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good," she made the mistake of saying out loud. Edward raised his eyebrows at her, asking a silent question with his eyes. Good? "You _shouldn't_ hear my thoughts," she elucidated. "They're _mine_." He stared at her for quite some time, then, and Bella worked furiously hard to not get lost in his eyes.

"So…" Alice broke the silence, sounding much calmer now she knew that Edward wasn't going to eat her. "What else is a myth? Do you turn into a bat? Burn up in the sun? Is human blood… _tempting?_ What if someone were bleeding? Would you kill them?" Her questions were starting to run together, and Bella wondered if Edward could understand her. She supposed he could. After all, she wasn't the only one who'd had years' worth of practice with the Alish language.

Edward's face broke back into a lighthearted grin. "No, I don't turn into a bat or burn up in the sun. Apparently I sparkle like a diamond when the sunlight hits me. I don't know for sure – I haven't seen sunlight, yet, here in Forks. I am normally fine with human blood – open or not. My restraint is, evidently, something spectacular. In fact, the only time I've ever had trouble controlling myself is with… Bella." Edward looked up at Bella through his eyelashes. He smiled balefully, guiltily even. And then some more puzzle pieces fit themselves together.

He had trouble controlling himself around Bella's blood… so when he was kissing her, letting his guard down, letting his natural instincts take over… he had to fight one side of his persona. He had to fight with himself on two, natural levels… Aw, now Bella _really_ felt like a jerk! She'd made life so hard for Edward! Who did she think she was, kissing him like that? Ugh, what a stupid girl she was! When he'd been resisting her, it wasn't because he didn't _want_ her; it was because he wanted her in more ways than one.

"Oh, Edward," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… it was stupid of me to have… oh, God, you were just trying not to kill me! And I had to go and _assault_ you!"

Edward grinned widely. "Please. Don't apologize," he murmured, and for one, intense moment their eyes met and agreed in some sort of unsaid way.

"Well, this is all great and dandy," came Alice's melodic voice, then. "But was there a _reason_ you stopped by?"

The smile slid neatly off of Edward's face and he was back to business. "Yes. The thing is, Bella. I think you're in grave danger."

Bella almost said, "Tell me something I don't know," but then realized that she'd never told Edward about Jacob and his crazed father's plans.

"Remember what I told you about Mike last night?" Edward asked with a somber voice. Who could forget? Michael Ethan Newton was now "MEN – the vampire!"

"Yes," Bella sighed.

"Mike?" Alice asked, bemused. "What about Mike? Didn't he…? Oh, no. Don't tell me. Mike's a vampire _too?_" Alice was completely overwhelmed with all this newfound information, Bella could tell. She was starting to wish she _hadn't_ clued her in.

"Yes, Mike's a vampire, too. He didn't really die in a car accident. We planted that evidence so that no one would come looking for him. Anyway, last night Mike and I got into a huge fight – "

Alice gasped. "Why?! Oh, did you hurt Mike? Edward, Mike's a good guy. You shouldn't fight with him! Could you at least _try_ to make friends?"

Edward's eyes closed in exasperation and Bella fought off a smile. "It's hard for vampires to live together. Usually they travel alone or with their mates or otherwise in covens of two or three. _I_ had a coven of three – my mentor, Mike, and myself. But last night, Mike saw fit to kill my mentor and burn down his house. Then, when I, er, returned to the place, he tried to kill _me_."

Alice's eyes were wide with horror. "Mike wouldn't do that," she finally decided. Edward raised his eyebrows.

"Why?" Bella finally asked. "Why did he try to hurt you?"

"Because he found out that I was posing as Hero so that I could talk to you." This picture was becoming clearer and clearer, and Bella wasn't sure how much she liked the artwork on this puzzle. "Mike was in a jealous rage and wanted revenge when he was turned, so those emotions were multiplied one hundred times when he was finished the transformation. Therefore, the seemingly harmless Mike Newton now has a killer's thirst."

"So, how does that affect me? Why am _I_ in danger?"

Edward's face was stony and somewhat angry as he replied. "I got a good look in his mind yesterday," he began clarifying. "His plans are to come here and make you choose. And if you choose wrong, his emotions will be thrown out of proportion and he'll kill you." A single squeak emitted Alice's lips, but Bella sat, calm as ever.

Staring straight into Edward's eyes, she whispered, "Then I'll die having made the right decision."

"Bella, NO!" Alice cried. "I don't _want_ you to die! You can't!"

Edward's face looked a mixture between livid and elated. The eyes that were staring at Bella, though, were purely worried. "Bella… I don't think you understand…"

"I understand perfectly. And nothing Mike can say or do will make me tell a believable lie such as _that _one. I only want _you_. And… I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner," she added, staring at her hands, which were folded neatly in her lap.

She didn't hear him advance toward her, so when a cold finger gently lifted her chin up, it took her by surprise. He was smiling so widely that it looked like his face might crack. With that same smile, he murmured, "Better late than never."

The breath that caressed her face was the most succulent odor she'd ever smelled. Bella unconsciously leaned forward, thirsty for more of his lips, but suddenly, Edward went completely rigid and he turned his head to the side.

Bella blinked and snapped out of it. "I'm sorry, Edward," she whispered. "I know it's hard. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it hard – " But Edward silenced her, holding up one hand.

"We've got company," he muttered, and Alice whimpered. Bella felt exceedingly guilty for bringing her into all of this. Alice had led a perfectly normal life this morning, and now she was as mixed up in monsters and mad scientists as Bella was.

The doorbell didn't ring; there was no knock on the door. In fact, Bella hadn't even heard the door _open_, but suddenly, Mike Newton was standing in the doorway to the front hall, facing the three of them. He looked the same, but paler with more defined facial features. His cheeks weren't as round as they were when he was… _human_, and brilliant, glowing red eyes replaced his blue ones.

"Knock-knock," he said, glaring at Bella and Edward with all the menace he could muster.

* * *

_All the joy and the pain that you gave from the tears that run with the rain  
You've been so brave through all the pain  
But let's not worry your life away  
You know you've given life meaning._

It took Jacob all of four seconds to figure out why his father was in such a good mood. Lying on the desktop in his office were the plans for some kind of electronic – the gizmo that Jacob had been _stealing_ money for – and on top of the plans laid the spitting image of the gizmo.

"Crap…" Jacob whispered, reading the description of the, apparently, remote control. It was designed to take control of any working machine within a mile of them – but on the full moon, its power would increase. On the full moon, the remote would take control of all the machines on the Olympic Peninsula.

Crap, crap, crap. This was not good. His psychotic father had something that could, ultimately, kill everybody. _Crap!_ He had to do something, he had to steal the remote; destroy it – anything!

"But why?" purred the monster from it's cage. Jacob froze and gulped. "Won't it be fun to terrorize all the inferiors that get in your way, Jacob?" Stiffly, still staring at the little contraption of a remote, Jacob shook his head. He could stop the mayhem his father would bring to this town _right now_. All he had to do was destroy that stupid thing! "Jacob," the monster insisted, crooning in a soothing, persuasive voice. "All our hard work will go to nothing if you destroy that remote. Then, what reason would we have for stealing? If you crumple that remote, Billy will kill Bella."

Jacob sighed in defeat as he realized the stupid monster was right. And he'd _know_ it had been Jake that demolished the damn thing because… well… who else _could_ have?

"That's right, Jacob. Just turn and leave the office now before Billy comes back up from lunch…" Reluctantly, Jacob obeyed the monster inside him.


	15. Parkbench

Chapter Twelve  
_Parkbench_

_If you lead the way I will follow  
Although it's not the way I would go  
They said don't take it, well I won't  
They said don't fake it, well I won't  
I would take you there  
I would take you there  
But you wouldn't care_

"Mike," Bella whispered, horror weaving its way into her expression. "Mike… what do you want?" She tried to sound strong, tried to make her voice more defiant, but it was a lost cause. Her tone wavered with all the screaming she was holding back. The truth was that, no matter what Bella had said before, she was terrified now, faced with the scarlet-eyed Mike. He was nothing, _nothing_ like Edward. You could see the kindness in Edward, practically _feel_ it radiating off him. Not Mike. He was someone else entirely – a demon rather than an angel. Sure, he was handsome – beautiful, even – but that was easily overlooked once the hatred became visible in his eyes.

Edward let out a low growl and positioned himself so that he was between Bella and Mike – a reaction to some unheard answer, Bella was sure.

"You'll keep your filthy hands _off_ her," he snarled. Mike's eyes flashed angrily as he looked at Edward. If it was possible, Bella thought she saw the menace in his glare _increase_ when he turned his eyes on Edward. And Edward did something unexpected – he smirked. How could he find something to joke about at a time like this? "Right, just the one hand, then. You'll still keep it off her."

With no warning whatsoever, Mike let out an impressive roar and leapt the seven-or-so feet across the room at Edward. And then Bella saw it – Mike's right hand was perfectly in tact, whereas his left was nowhere to be seen. In its place the stump of Mike's forearm was visible. It looked like a newly healed wound – the pallid skin was shiny and tight across his bone.

Mike hit Edward head on and the two crashed to the ground. On Bella's left, Alice let out a high-pitched scream and she and Bella scrambled out of the way – just in time for the seemingly attached pair to land on and break the living room couch. Bella clutched Alice's arm in a reassuring way – though she felt she needed to be reassured, too. The two creatures were hissing and snapping their jaws at each other, rolling around on the floor. Mike kept punching every inch of Edward that he could with his good hand, causing a loud, boulder-smacking-boulder sound to echo in the living room. It literally sounded as loud as gunshots and Bella wondered how on _earth_ the neighbors wouldn't hear.

"You don't deserve her! She's not yours! She's mine! She was never yours!" Mike was yelling.

_Au, contraire!_ Bella thought. She had _always_ been Edward's. She had loved him for as long as she could remember. She had never been _Mike's_.

Mike was on top of Edward, now, trying to rip off his arm, but Edward was holding his own and fighting back, yanking his arm out of Mike's death grip and pushing him off of him. Edward sprang lithely to his feet and crouched in an offensive pose, preparing to lunge at Mike at the opportune moment.

Just as Mike was swinging at Edward, Bella finally found her voice. "Stop it, Mike!" she screamed above the calamity.

"Bella, no!" Edward yelled, turning his face to dodge the swipe from Mike, but Bella wouldn't let Edward die – again – because she failed to speak up.

"I'm _not_ yours! I never was!" she called at the top of her lungs, trying desperately to distract Mike from his quarry. It seemed to be working, because his eyes kept flickering over to Bella. "I was _always_ Edward's – _always_, Mike. I have been his all this time."

Mike's head turned so that he could look into Bella's eyes full on, now, his punches slowing until, finally, his arms hung loosely at his side. At first his eyes held all the sadness in the world. "Always?" he asked, his voice weak with emotion. "Even… even before?" he muttered, seeming to talk to himself rather than Bella, now.

Apprehensively, Bella nodded. Mike seemed like he was taking the news well… he didn't immediately go into a bloodthirsty rage – not immediately. But it didn't take long for the scornful edge to return to his eyes, this time with a new intensity that made Bella so scared she thought she might be sick.

Mike's face twisted into a grimace of horrible fury, and his eyes grew darker. His nostrils flared as he inhaled, and then his cold flesh was restricting Bella's movement.

"Wha-" she started to protest, but Mike pulled a deathly cold hand over her mouth, yanking her head so that her neck was completely exposed and naked.

Edward let out a deafening roar and lunged for Mike, but he pulled out of the way at the very last second.

"If I can't have you," Mike whispered in a deadly voice, his chilling lips caressing her neck in a completely horrifying and disturbingly pleasurable way, "no one can."

Bella realized what was going to happen a second too late – Mike was going to kill her; drain her of her blood. She let out a scream that was muffled by Mike's good hand as he lowered his teeth to her flesh.

This was it, Bella thought hopelessly. She was going to die. But at least she was going to die knowing what Edward tasted like, knowing what he felt like… because knowing what his touch was, what his kiss was like… that made heaven a possibility. She knew the feelings of pure ecstasy and bliss, she knew the taste of ambrosia, what more could heaven hold for her? Eternity being in touch with those emotions and senses was a perfectly appealing and bearable idea. Bella was just coming to terms with the fact that she was about to die when, simultaneously, something yanked her downward and, with an earsplitting bang, Mike was knocked backward.

Before Bella knew what was what, she was facing a teary, frightened Alice and there were more sounds of a brawl going on behind her.

"Are you okay?" Alice whispered, yanking Bella back into a standing position. "Did he bite you?" Bella touched her neck and then looked at her hand. No blood. She sighed in relief and then shook her head. "Okay, c'mon," Alice whispered, and Bella was jerked forward into running, her hand in Alice's, still, and they escaped the house and stood in the middle of the street.

Bella looked at Alice frantically. Why were they just standing here, chilling in the street, while Edward was in there _possibly dying?_

"Edward told me to get you out of the house and away from anything flammable," Alice explained, answering Bella's unasked question.

"Away from anything flammable?" Bella repeated, bemused. "What, is he going to bomb the place or something?" She realized her voice was shaking and her stomach was churning. She felt lightheaded for the second time in the past two hours and took deep, steadying breaths to compose herself.

As she took in a third breath, though, her entire house burst into flames.

Bella didn't react at first. She merely looked, numbly, at the place where she'd grown up. She watched as the flames began to destroy and blacken the wood that the house was built with. She didn't even think of what was going to happen to her when Charlie got home and saw that she'd burned the house down. The only thought in her mind was: _Not Edward… Not again… _Without even taking a second to think about it, Bella began sprinting towards the house, Alice still attached to her hand.

"Bella, are you nuts?!" Alice screamed, jerking Bella back away from the house.

In contrast to Alice's shrieks of frenzy, Bella's words were whispered and light. "He can't… I can't lose him again…" She hadn't even really realized she'd spoken, to be quite honest. There was one scenario running through her mind again and again, and that was that she could not, _would_ not lose Edward for a second time. She couldn't do it. Not now. Sure, she could _die_ now, but for _him_ to die? To let him perish? That was quite unallowable.

Bella ripped her hand from Alice's and raced towards the front door. It was completely engulfed in flames, but Bella was already reaching a shaking hand towards the white-hot doorknob.

Before she could lay even a finger on the searing hot metal, though, the wooden door broke in half, and Bella was suddenly lifted off of her feet. She was moving backwards, away from the house, but something cold was secured around her waist – something cold, yet, more reassuring than Alice could ever have been.

"Bella, what are you thinking?" Edward's hiss sounded in her ear.

Warm, lashing waves of relief flooded Bella's every sense. Edward was alive. Edward was safe. His arm released her when he was sure she could stand, and she found herself wobbling on her two feet, trying to keep her balance as a scream of anguish pierced the air, and there was a bang from inside the house. Mike was inside – dying, burning.

"It seems," Edward said grimly, staring at the house, "that Mike can start fires, but he can't put them out."

Bella chanced a glance at Alice, refusing to meet Edward's eyes. She was pained to see that her friend's face was white with fear and her face pained – probably from the internal conflict that was raging inside of her. Mike had been her friend – he'd been close enough to Emmett for Alice to consider him a brother. The force of the guilt that hit Bella nearly knocked her over.

"I'm… sorry… Alice…" she whispered so softly that she couldn't be sure that Alice had heard. Alice looked away from the house, a strange, defiant edge in her eyes.

"Sorry? For what? He was about to kill you," Alice whispered back. She looked back into the flames and breathed, "He had it coming." A rush of gratitude towards Alice had Bella smiling – even if it was only slightly – again. Obviously, Alice's sisterhood to Bella was more intense than her sisterhood to Mike.

"I have to leave," came the honey-sweet voice. "The police department will be here soon. I can't be here. I'm supposed to be dead." Edward was turning to flee into the trees.

He was going to leave again.

"Don't go," Bella pleaded, throwing her arms around Edward's shoulders. "I don't want you to leave, again," she whispered, inhaling as much of his scent as she could.

Edward tensed at first, but then Bella felt him relax under her arms. Slowly, as if he were afraid she'd push him away, he snaked his arms around her waist. "I can't be here when the authorities come…" he said, but he sounded as though his resolve could be wavered with a little more persuasion…

Bella nuzzled his neck, letting her lips brush his rock hard flesh as she spoke. "Edward, please, _please_ don't go… I can't lose you again…"

Gently, Edward pushed Bella's shoulders away from him. She backed up, slowly, searching his face for any sign of conceding. "I have to go, Bella," he started, and she felt her face fall.

Bella stared at the wet concrete underneath the soles of her shoes, waiting for him to just leave already. But his sneakers did not budge. When she looked up to meet his eyes, he was staring at her intently, calculatingly as if there was some kind of answer he was searching for.

Whatever it was, he seemed to find it. "But… perhaps you'd like to come with me?"

* * *

_Early in the morning freezing  
Just to say early breakfast  
On the parkbench everyday  
I won't regret it  
I won't forget it_

Jacob paced nervously in his room. This was it. His father had this weapon made, and any day now – any minute now – he could decide to use it. Jacob knew what was right. He knew what he should do. Wasn't the free world more important than one girl's life?

Honestly? Not to him.

But if he had the power to stop the madness… and he didn't… was he a part of it? The internal conflict was killing him. To save the states? To save Bella? And the worst part of it all was that there was a voice telling him that he shouldn't be worrying about anyone but Bella.

"Who cares what happens to the rest of them?" it reasoned with him time after time again. "As long as you're behind the man with the power, you can keep anyone you want safe. Including Bella."

The offer was so tempting. But Jacob could feel the weight of the world building up on his shoulders. If it was put into anyone else's perspective, they'd tell him to destroy the remote and move on without Bella.

He hadn't even seen her recently, he tried to tell himself. He hadn't seen her since she'd run away after he told her about the monster within him.

Instead of the anger that he should have felt at Bella's blatant disacceptance of him, he merely felt sadness.

The inner battle was raging on worse than ever when Billy called calmly up the stairs.

"Oh, Jacob?" His gruff voice sounded amused, like he was about to watch a particularly enjoyable television program. "We've got company."

Jacob didn't know what to make of his father anymore. Once a man he had looked up to, Billy Black was now an insane alcoholic. His father had made him a beast and was making him do unethical things for unethical reasons, blackmailing him – his own son! – to do his bidding. Jacob supposed he wouldn't mind much if his father dropped dead. Though he'd never kill him.

He hadn't forgotten his vows. He would never harm anyone – no matter how much they deserved it. Though, he found that his emotions had very little say in his actions when he was in the form of a wolf. It was a horrid thing to be aware of what was happening – to hate it with a passion – and yet not be able to stop it happening. He found that he often blacked out the memories of when he was a bloodthirsty animal. He didn't like that.

"Who's here?" Jacob asked, truly curious. He descended the stairs to stand by his father No one had ever come to the house before – except for Sam. Jacob shuddered.

"Unless you were expecting someone, unwanted visitors…" Billy said coldly, gesturing out the front window.

Jacob followed his father's gaze and looked out across their vast front lawn. Making their way over the hill to the house, there were three figures. One was tall and dark – he had a hood over his head and it seemed to cover his eyes. Jacob's eye narrowed at once. Hero. The one who knew about Bella.

Next to him were two much shorter figures, both thin and fragile. Jacob recognized Alice Cullen from his school on Hero's left… and on his right… Jacob swallowed nervous bile. Bella was walking next to Hero.

"Jacob?" Billy's voice interrupted Jacob's silent horror. "Take them out."

* * *

_But you know everything, at least you said so  
You know everything,  
At least the music made you smile and even laugh  
Awhile and the words they made you cry_

Edward had almost needed to take a step backward when Bella had practically leapt into his arms.

"Of course!" she'd said. "Of course I'll come with you!"

And, obviously, Alice was not about to be left behind. When Edward had suggested the, apparently, preposterous idea, she had thrown quite the temper tantrum.

"No way! How is that fair? Bella gets to go, why can't I? Just because you two are in love, or whatever, doesn't mean I have to be the odd girl out!" Bella had blushed profusely at the word "love", and Edward couldn't help but wonder why? She'd just been fine with saying it before, why was it so different now? They were in love, weren't they? It was like an otherwordly force had bound them together. There was no separation now.

"Fine, fine, Alice. You can come, too. But you both have to do exactly as I say, when I say it, understand? I'll only tell you to do things for your own safety."

Alice and Bella nodded eagerly.

Edward sighed. Good. Now he just needed a head start. He knew that wolfboy was around here somewhere, robbing banks and doing Lord knows what with the money. He needed to find him, and take him down. For Oliver.

They had been walking in the woods for about an hour, now. Edward knew that the girls would need a place to sleep and food and water and all those… human… and… female necessities. He wished in vain that Oliver's house wasn't burnt to a crisp. Edward also knew that, now he was surrounded by human girls whose beating hearts would constantly be testing his willpower, he would need to hunt more often.

"Er…" he began, trying to address the situation.

Edward sighed, preparing to face reality – he didn't have a clue what he was doing. Oliver had been his guidance, his mentor, and he hadn't learned everything that he could have from him before he was brutally and viciously murdered. Surprisingly, Edward felt no guilt in leaving Mike Newton behind in his own mess to die. In fact, he merely felt relieved that the creep was out of the picture – one less thing to worry about.

"I know what we're looking for," Edward said, giving a sheepish, sideways glance at Bella, and then one at Alice. "I just don't know where to look…" he admitted.

"Well…" Alice said, still a little fearful. "Why don't you fill us in on what you're looking for so that maybe we can help."

Edward glared at her, but began telling them the whole, long, story with all the gory details. He told them everything from the night he was bitten – everything about Oliver, Oliver's visions, the aspiring "Hero", and then, finally, he told them about the rather large wolf that was meant to be destroyed.

At the mention of the beast, Edward heard Bella's heart rate pick up slightly.

"Bella?" he asked incredulously. "You know something?" Of course. She would know where the location of the monster was.

"Um, maybe?" she tried.

"Well, what is it?" he urged, stopping so that he could gaze intently into her eyes. If she knew anything, anything, it would help infinitely.

Bella sighed, resignedly, and Edward waited. Finally, she seemed to make a decision. "Last night," she muttered, "I went to talk to a friend at the Sunflower Café. He… told me all this stuff. One fact was that he was a… uh, a werewolf."

Bella showed every sign of stopping. But Edward would need more than that. "Bella, who was it? He's terrorizing the town, Bella, he must be stopped!"

"He's not!" she protested, blushing. Edward narrowed his eyes. Who was this punk, anyway? "I mean… he… he said he's only doing it because… someone's threatening me. And… he has rather… erm, strong feelings for me. So. That's why he's robbing banks."

Edward felt an emotion so strong that the impact nearly made him double over. It felt like his insides were churning with anger and random hate for whomever this person might be. Jealousy, he realized, somewhat surprised. The only truly human emotions that Edward had experienced as an inhuman, was anger and love. And, well, lust, but he wouldn't admit that out loud.

"Bella," Edward pleaded. "I need a name. Please."

Bella looked at him with wary eyes. "You're… not going to kill him… are you?"

Edward clenched his jaw. He wished that it was something he could swear on, but it just wasn't. Edward would try with all his might not to bring the wolf's life to an end if it would make Bella happy, but he had to incapacitate it somehow…

"No," he finally resolved on saying. Bella searched his eyes for a moment before nodding with conviction.

Lowering her eyes, she whispered the name. "Jacob Black."

Jacob Black. Jacob Black? Why did that name sound so familiar? Why did it ring a pleasant bell? Jacob Black… Edward was lost in thought when he realized that Bella was still talking.

"… father has some master plan to run America, or something, which is completely unbelievable. But he made Jacob a werewolf with some serum he concocted… his dad's, like, an evil genius or something…"

Alice was nodding. "Yeah, don't they have a company? Black Corp or something?"

"Black and Company, yeah…"

Oh. Oh, oh, oh! Now Edward remembered… Jacob Black – Edward's best friend when he was human. Oh.

Edward swallowed, feeling his eusophogus tighten and release. Jacob Black was the werewolf… Edward was going to have to take out Jacob? Could he do that? Jacob had been his only true friend whilst he was a human. He had come to his parents' memorial service and supported Edward in his time of need. And now… here Edward was, trying to do away with him? He wouldn't. He would do everything in his power to keep that boy alive.

"Okay. We have to go to his house and try to talk to him," Edward commanded, changing direction at once. Alice and Bella followed, willingly.

It didn't take long for them to reach the mansion, though it would have taken less time if Edward wasn't being slowed down by the two humans. Though, he could hardly complain. Having Bella for a companion was like a dream come true.

As they made their way across the lawn, though, Edward heard a disturbing mixture of thoughts.

_I have to stop him… he's gone completely insane… he's not safe anymore…_

_Jacob, Jacob, don't think like that! You are behind the man with the power! When he rules, anyone you want can be safe…_

_…do they think they are? How dare they come near this house! I'll get Jacob to take care of them…_

It didn't take long for Jacob to recognize Edward as Hero… or for him to recognize Bella, Edward realized with another resentful throb.

"Jacob? Take them out."

_Yes, Jacob. Take them out. Rid the beautiful picture that we are trying to paint of this wretched Hero and his companions…_

That was all the warning Edward needed. "Bella! Alice! Run! Get yourselves away!" Alice responded immediately, but Bella remained by Edward's side. "Bella!" he shouted, frantic now. "Bella, go!"

She stubbornly shook her head. "I'm by your side," she insisted, just as the front door opened and the tall, dark figure of Jacob Black appeared in its frame.


	16. Fifteen Minutes Old

**First, allow me to send my deepest apologies for taking so long to update. But, you see, it's really not my fault. School's started, and it is REALLY rough. I haven't had much time to write freely. But I will definitely work on that this weekend.**

**Second, do not kill me once you are finished this chapter. I am aware that it is short and very, _very_ taunting. I'm sorry. It was supposed to be a full length chapter, but I just couldn't do it. I swear, I'll put a huge one up this weekend. **

**Don't slaughter me, please.**

Chapter Thirteen  
_Fifteen Minutes Old_

_I'm good for inspiration, aren't I? You will find  
Well, close the door and I'll go anywhere  
You take me to from this bed onto so much more  
Care for you, I will. Can I have a picture of you tonight?  
Keep it with me always in my mind  
Tough me cause I can't move; I can barely breathe,  
speechless, breathless; I can't tell you if I'm here or not  
Running both legs tied together, arms in the air  
Care for you, I will.  
Can I have a picture of you tonight?  
Keep it with me always in my mind_

Alice didn't know what on earth was going on. Edward had told her and Bella to run, and she'd just promised to do exactly what he said, when he said to do it, so she turned tail and ran back the way she'd come. She'd made it all the way to the massive gate that kept intruders off of the Black property, assuming Bella was just behind her. She'd reached the iron gate, panting hard, chest heaving with the effort of the run, and turned to find that Bella was still standing by Edward's side – almost a hundred yards away. She could only just make out the two figures standing side by side in the distance.

And then they were joined by a third.

There was a minute, as Alice watched, that the three exchanged a word. Then the third figure began to… like… _vibrate._ Alice worried that maybe he was having a fit and her hand was halfway to her cell phone when the shaking boy exploded into a… a… a _wolf._

Man, Bella wasn't kidding about the werewolf thing.

Alice felt her jaw drop and the breath _whoosh_ out of her.

_Dog… _Big_ dog…_

Oh man, this was crazy! It was like some mafia crap going down. Like in the movies when the antagonist comes and does a drive by shooting but by some miracle misses the protagonist. Only… there were no cars or guns involved. Alice felt herself being reminded of the movie that Bella and she had watched earlier…

Had it been today? It felt like _years_ ago that her life was actually normal. Before she'd been mixed up with monsters and crimes. Bella and her had been having their usual movie day, like they'd been doing since they were _twelve_, and now, here she was. _Living_ the movie.

Alice watched the figure that was Edward leap in front of Bella and lithely try to draw the dog away from her, but it seemed the beast had eyes for only one. As Edward pranced and lurched around the monstrosity, Alice couldn't help but feel somewhat awed. She found the movements mesmerizing and she felt herself slipping into a trance-like state.

She wished _she_ could move like that. In fact, Alice found herself starting to wish she were a _lot_ more like Edward was. He was handsome, now, strong, fast, and even smarter than he'd been before he "died". And, plus, he could read minds.

As Edward darted around the wolf, Alice had the ominous feeling that something very, _very_ bad was about to happen. But what?

Her eyes were still glued to the wolf's dagger-like jowls when a cold arm slid around her waist and a hand over her mouth, stifling her piercing scream and forcing her head to the side so that her neck was exposed.

She felt something cold and hard trail up her neck, and then something that felt suspiciously like lips came to a rest at her ear before releasing the words:

"Alice, how are you?"

Alice's wide, brown eyes rolled wildly in their sockets, trying to put a face to the voice and see who her captor was. What she saw sent another ear-splitting screech through the restricting hand.

_Edward!_ She shrieked through her mind, _Edward, help!_

But Edward must have been much too engaged in his battle with the rogue werewolf to be listening for Alice, because no reply came.

"Don't worry, Alice," the charred and blackened face of Mike Newton said gently, eyes gleaming a brilliant red in their sockets. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to hurt _him_. So, trust me when I say, this won't hurt one bit…"

Once the words had been whispered from his horrid lips, Alice felt a shudder go down her spine. Time slowed down and she felt her heart beating in that pulsing, slow sound that they do in the movies – the slow _thud-thud_ became the only clear sound and she couldn't even feel herself breathe. In fact, she didn't even feel the razor sharp teeth protrude her neck, or feel Mike's stone cold lips suck from the blood that ran through her veins.

She felt herself gasp, though. It was a gasp of knowing rather than an intake of breath at shock or fear. She was going to die now, she knew. And then the world around her started to fade to black, like the ending scene of a movie.

And Alice knew no more.


	17. Prayer of the Refugee

**As promised, here is the longer chapter. It's three thirty in the morning. You better effing love me. XD**

Chapter Fourteen  
_Prayer of the Refugee_

_Warm yourself by the fire, son, and the morning will come soon.  
I'll tell you stories of a better time, in a place that we once knew.  
Before we packed our bags and left all this behind us in the dust,  
We had a place that we could call home, and a life no one could touch._

Storm clouds were rolling in over the normal gray coverage that the sky took on, making the already gloomy day start to look like night. The air was still, and Edward knew that a storm was blowing in. Ironic, he thought. Or, cliché, rather. A hurricane would decide to drop by just as he was preparing for a possible battle-to-the-death-if-need-be.

Edward scowled darkly as Jacob strode silently across his front lawn, his fathomless eyes flickering from Edward to Bella in turn.

What's she doing? Why is she with that Hero guy? Does she know him? He knew her… so she must know him… Why is she with him? What could…

It seemed like his thoughts were on a jealous repeat and Edward tried to tune them out. He couldn't help but start to feel resentful towards his former friend. His thoughts were rude, and Edward was starting to feel overprotective of Bella – though he was always a tad overprotective. He wished Bella had run, too, but there wasn't much that he could do now. If she ran, the dog would follow.

Jacob stopped a good ten feet away from the pair, and Edward noticed that his fists were trembling slightly with repressed rage.

"What are you doing here?" came his husky-voiced question. It sounded more like a snarl than a sound a human would make, actually.

Edward's nostrils flared as the scent of the beast hit him like a brick. It was an awful scent, like rotten eggs being burned. It was a pungent odor, and Edward thought it felt like the tiny hairs inside his nose were curling from the intensity of the stench. He almost couldn't stand it.

"Jacob Black?" Edward gasped, trying to sound strong and intimidating. "I must talk to you."

Jacob's lip curled back around his incisors, and a violent tremor ran down his spine. "You must?" he mocked. "What if I don't want to talk?"

Edward clenched his jaw. It would be so much easier not to want to kill Jacob if he would cooperate. "Then I suppose," he said with forced calm, "that I am wasting my time here."

Jacob's eyes narrowed. "I suppose you are."

"Jake…" Bella pleaded.

No… Edward thought desperately. Bella should not be getting into this. It was dangerous for her to open her mouth at such a crucial time to keep it closed. Jacob could snap at any moment, and once he was lost to the monster within, Bella would be the first thing he ripped to shreds.

But Jacob's expression softened perceptibly at the chime of Bella's voice. He turned his dark eyes on her and stared at her wistfully before continuing to speak.

"Bella," he said with a weary kind of sadness in his voice. "Bella, run. Run away from here right now. Please, Bella." His eyes were disturbingly beseeching, and it didn't take long for Edward to figure it out. Jacob was going to phase and rid the property of them, just as his father had ordered him to do. But he didn't want to harm Bella. And if Bella was out of the way, there would be no danger to her. Edward didn't dare think of what he would do to himself if he allowed Bella to be hurt.

Edward turned to look at her, as well. He nodded, showing that he actually agreed with Jacob's decision, but she shook her head stubbornly. "Jake, will you please just listen to what he has to say!" she whined, begging him with her eyes.

Jacob looked utterly torn. His eyes flickered back and forth from Bella to Edward; from uncertainty to abhorrence. Finally, his eyes rested on Bella's, and Edward knew his decision without needing to hear it.

"I'm sorry, Bella," he whispered before a shudder ran through his entire body and from his pelt burst a wolf the size of a horse. Edward instinctively leapt in between Bella and the wolf, blocking her from its line of vision. But the wolf seemed to have eyes for only Edward.

The creature that used to be Jacob lunged forward, snarling and snapping its jaws at Edward's face, arms, legs – whatever it could reach. Edward dodged and lurched out of its way, trying to lead it away from Bella. It seemed from some far off distance that he heard a scream, but he couldn't look over in that direction now with a saliva covered death trap snapping at his heels.

Again and again the wolf lunged at the vampire, and again and again, he dodged it with ease and precision.

Edward was succeeding at his vow not to murder Jacob Black when Bella screamed. He whirled to look at her, and she was running off to the front of the property. Edward strained his vision to see what it was she was running towards, but before he could get a good look, Jacob slammed into him, closing his jaws in a vice grip around Edward's abdomen.

Edward cried out in surprise as he felt the teeth puncture his rock hard skin, and he worked to get out of the wolf's deathly hold on him. The hot, stinking breath of the wolf stung his flesh, and the saliva burned where the dagger-like teeth were cutting into him. But even as Edward tried to pull the dog's jaws away from him, he felt it clamp down harder, squeezing so hard that he could feel his spine start to pop…

Edward realized that he couldn't escape – that this could well be the end if he didn't do something about it. He truly did not want to harm Jacob, though. His former friend knew not what he was doing or whom he was doing it to. Why should he be punished for such an innocent happening?

So Edward did the only virtually harmless thing he could think of. He groped around, blindly, on the wolf's head until he felt what he'd been searching for – one of its ears. Edward's capable fingers closed around the cartilage and he yanked – hard.

The Jacob wolf let out a yelp of pain, and his jaws released enough pressure for Edward to remove himself from their clutches. He hit the ground hard, but he couldn't even feel it over the stinging on his torso. Edward held his stomach, trying to lessen the pain – it was the first actual pain he'd felt as an immortal, and he decided he didn't miss it much. The wolf angrily came at him again, and he removed his arm from his stomach and sent a punch into the wolf's snout before turning and running at the speed of light after Bella.

As he came closer to the scene, he could finally make out what it was he was seeing – Alice, who had loyally obeyed him when he'd told the two of them to run, was hanging limply in the clutches of a burnt-black looking vampire. A vampire that Edward needed no help recognizing.

Mike Newton had Alice in his vile arms, and he was sucking her life away drop by drop.

* * *

_Don't hold me up now, I can stand my own ground,  
I don't need your help now, you will let me down, down, down!  
We are the angry and the desperate, the hungry, and the cold,  
We are the ones who kept quiet, and always did what we were told.  
But we've been sweating while you slept so calm, in the safety of your home.  
We've been pulling out the nails that hold up everything you've known._

Bella was watching with frozen horror on her face as the wolf and the vampire danced around each other, both snapping and lashing and dodging and lurching at the same time. It would have been a beautiful thing to watch if the consequences of one wrong move were not so dire.

She found herself feeling torn between the two. On the one hand – Jacob was a very, very good person, that she knew. He was compassionate and caring and a really good friend. But on the other, anatomically dominant hand, she could not lose Edward again. That much she was sure of. Knowing now that he was alive, she knew that her heart would not be able to bear the loss of such an earth shattering love for him again – even if it was unreciprocated.

As the fur fought the armor, she felt the ground rumble under her shoes with thunder, and raindrops began to fall delicately from their clouds. She couldn't help but notice the appropriateness of the rain in this situation – it was coming at the perfect time. Dark rain, setting a dark mood, for a dark fight that would have a dark result – no matter how it turned out.

And then she heard the scream.

At first she wasn't sure that that was what she had heard. It was muffled and weak and very far away, but it had a high soprano pitch to it that rang the "Alice" bell in Bella's brain. She turned towards the source of the noise and gasped.

A black figure was standing with its arms entwined around Alice, head bent over her neck. Bella was no expert, but she'd seen the movies. This thing – this vampire – was going to bite Alice.

Bella screamed as loud as her lungs would let her. Not Alice… oh, God, not her best friend!

"Alice!" Bella screeched, forgetting completely about the battle raging over her, right there. "Edward! Alice!" Before she knew what she was doing, Bella's legs were swiftly pumping back and forth, as fast as she could go. She felt the burning sensation in her muscles, felt the breaths coming short. Her lungs felt like there was a fire raging inside them, and tears were leaking out of the corners of her eyes, blurring her vision. But Bella didn't care about any of these things. The only thing on her mind was getting to Alice… before it was too late.

But Bella wasn't fast enough. She knew this. And, maybe if Edward weren't so preoccupied, things would have turned out differently. But the fact of the matter was that he _was_ busy, protecting Bella, when all Bella wanted to do was protect Alice. And even as Bella ran harder and faster than she'd ever run in her life, she saw the vampire that she now recognized as a very damaged Mike's mouth close over Alice's skin. She knew she was too late. Alice had been bitten. Alice was dead.

But she kept running. She had to do _something_. She couldn't just stand there while Mike killed her best friend. So she kept running and running until she thought her lungs would explode, and suddenly, she was right there.

It took her no time to congregate the confidence to try and rip Alice from Mike's clutches. Her friend's body was limp, her eyes closed, a look of a horrified peace upon her delicate features. Bella felt the blood drain from her face. Alice was dead. She must have been, because there was no way that someone who was _alive_ could look like that.

Bella tugged half-heartedly at Alice's lifeless arm, but Mike's grip on her was pincer-like and unyielding. How could he do this? She wondered numbly. How could he destroy Alice's life, his former best friend's _sister_, with no remorse? How could he have no conscience?

"Mike!" she screamed, letting every ounce of pain seep through into her tone. Alice… her best friend… her best friend who, this morning, knew nothing of this hidden world that she had been living in was now _dead_. And the guilt came crashing down on Bella then. She wished she'd never told her. She wished she'd kept Alice in the dark, because then she might not be dead. It was all her fault, and she would never forget it.

Mike looked up from Alice at the sound of Bella's voice. She nearly threw up at the sight of the blood on his despicable lips. She nearly threw up again, trying to think of how she could _ever_ have kissed those lips.

Smiling sinisterly, Mike laid Alice gently on the ground, as if she were a baby, and walked slowly and dangerously over to Bella. She swallowed her fear and prepared for the worst. She knew Mike was going to kill her, but frankly she didn't care. She'd had enough of this universe already; she'd had enough of the emotional pain. She was _so_ ready for it to end, and so she stood her ground, bravely, as Mike sauntered forward.

Her only regret was that she would not have the chance to say goodbye to Edward.

Mike approached Bella and stopped about two feet away, his eyes a thriving scarlet red. It was a horrifying contrast with his newly damaged skin. Mike's cheeks and arms and, well, basically every inch of skin _visible,_ had become an ebony black color, Bella suspected it was because of the damage the fire had done to him. The menacing color of his eyes and the pitch blackness of his skin created a terrifyingly horrendous difference from the Mike she'd once known. Bella could feel her heart pounding in her ears as Mike reached a hand forward.

"Bella…" he whispered, and she shivered as he ran his fire-blackened hand down her cheek. For a moment, she saw his, now, charcoal colored face turn vulnerable and sad. But it only took a minute for him to regain his composure. His face turned back to its haunting grimace of anger, and he bared his teeth. "It could have been all right, Bella. None of this ever would have had to happen…" he let his voice trail, and Bella shuddered again, realizing how right he was. None of this would _ever_ have happened if Edward had just taken a _ride_ home from the funeral that fateful night. Of course, though, he hadn't. And Bella's life had altered completely.

_Oh, well,_ she thought somberly as Mike prepared his attack, _at least I have my chance at heaven…_She closed her eyes and waited for the bite. She waited and waited… and _waited._

But it never came.

Bella opened her eyes, expecting to see Mike standing in front of her with a look of morbid humor on his charred face as he prolonged Bella's final moments, but, instead she saw something much more gratifying.

Edward was beating the crap out of Mike.

Bella couldn't help but allow her smile to widen with every blow that Edward sent into the monster's chest, abdomen, face… basically anywhere he could reach. She felt a weight lift off of her chest, like there had been an invisible anvil resting there, and she took a deep breath. But the elation lasted only seconds as she realized two things at once.

One: Alice was still dead.

Two: There was a werewolf headed her way, right now, and moving at an alarmingly fast speed.

Bella had one second to make an impulse decision – she decided she'd go with her gut on this one.

"Edward!" she shouted over the ruckus. "Edward, grab Alice's body and let's get _out of here!_"

Flight in the middle of a fight may not have been the noblest decision that they could have made, but she had to face the facts. They were outnumbered, Bella was emotionally traumatized by the death of her best friend, and Edward was _hurt_, Bella realized with a stabbing fear.

Edward nodded, giving her notice that he'd heard and, surprisingly, agreed. He threw another punch into Mike Newton's jaw, leapt up from his spot on top of him, grabbed Bella and Alice and sprinted away from the property so fast that Bella saw the trees turn into naught but a vividly green blur.

The swaying of Edward's quick stride and the depth of all that had happened today was starting to catch up to Bella – she was beginning to feel queasy.

"Edward?" she said weakly after a few minutes of his running with her tucked delicately under his arm. "Do you mind if we stop for a minute?" she moaned. Edward must have noticed the tone of her voice, because he slowed to a walk before finally coming to a stop by a small stream that was flowing gently southward towards the ocean.

Bella was ecstatic to feel solid ground beneath her feet, and she immediately sank to her knees, taking deep breaths of air, trying to placate the nausea.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked tentatively.

Bella nodded, pressing a hand to her forehead and swallowing.

She didn't hear him come to kneel beside her on the mossy floor of the forest, so when his cool hands were on either side of her face, she nearly jumped at the surprise. She opened her eyes to look into his red ones. Only… they weren't as red as she'd remembered them. They had a tint to them – a kind of orangey-brown look mixed in with the scarlet she'd come to recognize.

"Of course you're not alright," he said in his unbearably smooth voice, stroking her cheeks gently with his thumbs and staring into her eyes with his bottomless ones. "You've just watched your best friend be attacked by a vampire." She swallowed.

"I- I'll _be_ alright. I just… just have to get used to all this… surreal stuff that's going on," she said, appalled to find that her voice still held a noticeable amount of shakiness. She tried to smile, but she knew it looked forced and sad.

Edward's eyes flickered back and forth between hers – he'd taken his "Hero hood" off, and his hair was lightly tousled and sat in adorable disarray on top of his head. Bella hated how that even in a moment that should be dedicated to grief and woe, she didn't fail to notice how _good_ Edward looked. How _much_ she loved the feeling of his hands on her face. How much she loved _him._

Without thinking, she stretched her neck forward and let her lips squash against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer, melding her body against his on the forest floor. And he let her; even put his own hands on her waist, drawing her hips closer to his. She could feel how every contour of his body pieced together with hers, fitting perfectly together as if they were a pair of puzzle pieces. She let herself get caught up in the passion, opening her mouth so that she could suck on his lower lip, itching to taste the ambrosial flavor of him again. For a moment, she thought she'd get away with it, but then he broke away, turning his head to the side and panting – hard.

"Bella…" he gasped, turning to look at her face again with deepest sorrow in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she apologized immediately.

"Don't be. I'm the one who should be sorry." Bella looked at him, raising her eyebrows quizzically. He chuckled lightly and then removed her hands from around his neck so that he could hold them in his own. He sat down all the way and pulled Bella into his lap in one, fluid motion. "I'm sorry I don't have better control…" he explained. "I… I _want_ to be able to kiss you; to hold you like a regular man should be able to hold the woman he loves," Bella's heart fluttered at the word. She figured Edward must have heard, because he smiled a little. "But I can't do that. It's like your blood is the apple in a world of lemons."

Bella looked up at him with sad eyes. "I know, Edward. I'm sorry. I know it's hard for you, and I shouldn't be making it harder…"

Edward was shaking his head, and looked as though he was about to say something else when a peculiar expression crossed his handsome face. He looked over to where Alice lay on the soft forest floor.

"She's waking," he said simply, and Bella stared at him in confusion. Waking? Did that mean… could he possibly mean that… _Alice wasn't dead?_

Edward noticed the look of apprehensive hope on Bella's face and nodded grimly. "Mike didn't drain her – you stopped him in time. But she was bitten. She has the venom in her bloodstream. She's not dead, but she's dying. She won't be human much longer…" Edward explained solemnly. Bella looked at him in confusion, then over to where her friend lay. "In other words," Edward continued, sensing her confusion, "she's turning into a vampire."

And Alice's eyes snapped open and she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

* * *

_So open your eyes child, let's be on our way.  
Broken windows and ashes are guiding the way.  
Keep quiet no longer, we'll sing through the day,  
Of the lives that we've lost, and the lives we've reclaimed._

The beast watched in fury as its prey escaped him yet again. No matter, he thought, that infernal creature could not elude him forever. But as the beast watched, he noticed that the creature had left something behind. The beast trotted over to investigate and was greeted with the sickly, minty, sweet scent of _that_ kind. But it did not look like _that_ kind. This creature was blackened instead of pallid – deformed. An outcast. Like him.

The beast phased back into the boy, letting _him_ take control of the conversation.

"Who are you?" Jacob Black demanded of the sickening black ghoul that lay in the green grass of his front yard.

The _thing_ stirred, and looked up at Jacob with piercing red eyes. "Who are _you?_" it retorted.

"Don't talk back," Jacob spat, feeling nothing at all like himself. "Tell me who you are, or I'll kill you now."

This seemed to strike a cord of fear in the creature's eyes, and it rose itself into a sitting position. "My name is not important," it explained. "But we both want the same thing, don't we?" it said in a chillingly smooth voice. Jacob shuddered at the unnaturally silky sound. "We both want to kill Hero. So let us not be enemies at first sight – but allies," the creature said in a cunning, persuasive tone.

Jacob looked at the terrifying thing for a moment. He was unsure of what to say. It wasn't that he _wanted_ to kill Hero, so much as it was necessary for the sake of Bella's life. But obviously it was not something that he was going to be able to pull off on his own – he bitterly rubbed his sore ear.

Jacob considered the eyesore of a creature for a moment longer before stretching forward a hand to help it up.

"Allies it is then," he said with morbid conviction.


	18. The Good Left Undone

**Everyone who's ragging on Jacob Black is (hopefully) going to feel very, **_**very**_** different by the end of this story. And I know I'm about to make a lot of you very, **_**very**_** happy.**

Chapter Fifteen  
_The Good Left Undone_

_In fields where nothing grew but weeds, I found a flower at my feet,  
Bending there in my direction. I wrapped a hand around its stem  
And pulled until the roots gave in, finding there what I've been missing.  
And I know... So I tell myself, I tell myself, it's wrong.  
tThere's a point we pass from which we can't return.  
I felt the cold rain of the coming storm..._

Bella had to sit there for hours upon hours, listening to the tortured screams of her best friend. Eventually, though, Alice must have lost her voice, because the screaming stopped although she still opened her mouth and grimaced in agony.

It was very hard for Bella to sit there through this. Alice, after all, had had a whole regular life, not twelve hours ago. Her best friend had been dragged into some psychopathic universe, and it was all Bella's fault. She didn't dare think of what Alice would be like when she was finished her transformation.

Bella realized that Alice would be in a lot of emotional torment when she came to her senses. She'd have to let go of her family and Jasper… it would be hard for her dear friend. But… there was nothing they could do…

And that was what drove Bella completely insane! There were two choices – let Alice finish transforming into one of the eternally damned, or kill her. It was such a despicable ultimatum. Bella wished she could just turn back time and make it so that Mike would never have bitten her poor friend at all.

Bella had lost track of time after a while. Edward had set up a camp using "natural resources".

He'd gone and found some campers' tent and taken it while they were hiking. Some boy scouts were going to be very surprised when they came back to camp…

Edward was sitting next to Alice on the mossy forest floor outside the tent while Bella was sitting inside the shelter of the green tent walls, listening to the sounds of the raindrops pattering on the outside of the tarp, flecking down from the green treetops. He had assured her that the cold water dripping down from the heavens would feel good on Alice's skin. She let her mind wander over to how terribly complicated it was going to be after this little excursion was over. After all – Bella _had_ burnt the house down… and Alice _was_ kind of dying… there would be so many lies to tell – secrets to cover up. What would Charlie think tonight when he returned home from work? What would he think when Bella did not return tonight? Bella's thoughts were beginning to get away from her when the tent flap zipped open and Edward poked his head inside.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked almost sheepishly.

Bella shook her head, feeling a bit of a blush creeping up her neck as she scooted aside to make room for the image of perfection that had decided to join her in the tent.

"How's Alice?" she asked at once.

Edward's face was slightly grim as he answered. "It shouldn't be very long. Mike got a lot of venom in her bloodstream, so the… alteration… should pass by much more quickly than mine did."

Bella suppressed a shudder at the mental image of Mike's teeth sunken into Alice's fleshy neck, blood seeping out where it could. She shook the image off and tried to focus on matching her breathing with Edward's steady inhaling and exhaling. Like every other time that he was within a distance that she could reach out and touch him, Bella felt hyperaware of Edward in the enclosed space. It felt as though there was an electric charge in the atmosphere that made all of her senses tingle; it seemed like she could feel him breathing.

"Bella…" Edward started in a serious tone. "There's something I've been wanting to talk to you about…" Her heart stuttered as his eyes flickered from her to his hands, which were folded neatly in his lap.

Edward swallowed, and Bella was bewildered to see that he actually looked _nervous_. Her hands itched to reach forward and grasp his hand in hers, to squeeze it reassuringly and tell him there was no need to worry – that whatever he had to say was going to be all right. But she didn't. Instead she clasped her hands together and rested them on top of her knees, awaiting Edward to begin to talk.

"You… you've said a few times now that you… you _love_ me…"

Bella's heart promptly began to pound against her ribcage, so hard she felt like it was going to crack one of her ribs. She could feel the pulse in the pit of her stomach – on the sides of her temples, in her wrists – everywhere! Her legs felt rubbery and she suddenly had the overwhelming urge to vomit.

Finally, Edward looked up from his long, pale fingers and gazed deeply into Bella's eyes. "What took you so long?" he asked, flashing her a crooked smile that would make any girl's preservation of virtue melt.

Bella felt her pounding heart stutter a bit in surprise. Her eyes flickered down to her hands and then back to his own. She swallowed now, feeling the pulse of her blood in every part of her, as if it was making her tongue swell up so that she couldn't talk.

"Uh," she started. Truth be told, it _had_ taken her a long time to realize that she loved Edward. She'd always had _feelings_ for him, yes. Ever since they were ten. But it had taken Edward's being on his deathbed for her to realize how much she would be affected if he died. She was in _love_ with him! Bella had been angry at herself at first for not realizing her feelings sooner – they could have had months together; maybe years. But she'd been so foolish to pass off those emotions as nothing but a simple crush.

"I… I didn't know… know what I was feeling…" she tried to explain, lamely. And then, without any warning, she leapt into a rambling speech of which she had no idea if Edward was even remotely following.

"I wanted to tell you, really I did. Ever since we were little kids and you pulled me out of the river – it was like _you_ had my heart now. Obviously I was too young to understand the complexity of the feeling, but I still _felt_ it. And I _waited_ for you, Edward! I waited for you to come to me, _but you never did._ So I just gave up on it after a while – figuring that the emotions were only being felt on my part. But then… in high school… I just couldn't stop _thinking_ about you. I think it's because I was finally beginning to get mature enough to realize what the damned aching in my heart was, but I _still_ didn't take notice that it was more than just a silly crush until it was too late and you were on your deathbed. Edward," she said, finally pausing to take a deep breath, "it's true. I love you."

And now was the moment of truth. She dared not look at Edward, instead Bella kept her eyes glued to her knuckles, white with the strain of her skin against them. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails were digging into her palms. She tried to relax her grip, but she could not make the stiff muscles soften.

Time went by. Seconds, minutes, hours… Bella was not sure. But she knew that there was much too long a silence, much too much sadness in Edward's entrancing eyes, much too much tension in the air. He needn't say it. She had a feeling that if he did it would only hurt her more, like driving a pike through her torso, or a spade down her spine. She didn't need to hear it – the silence was enough.

"I understand," she whispered, blushing profusely and making to get up and leave the tent. Perhaps she go stand by the river and throw stones in and watch them sink to the bottom like she wished she could do right now…

But a cold hand wrapped itself around her wrist. "Where are you going?" his voice, so smooth that it almost hurt, drifted into her mind, the tone sounding offended.

"I… I was going to get out… leave you alone…" she mumbled, trying not to look at him or feel the heat that crept through her body where she touched him.

"Why on _earth_ were you going to do _that?_"

Bella couldn't help it, anymore. She picked her eyes up, thoroughly confused, and dared to look into Edward's hypnotic stare. "Well…" she started, slowly, "because I thought that maybe you wanted me to stop hoping for some false affection? Because maybe my clinginess has begun to irritate you and you'd rather I left you be? Because… I'm _embarrassed_ mostly," she finished, the heat creeping up her cheeks again.

Now Edward got on his knees so that he was eye to eye with Bella, his hand still wrapped gently around her wrist. "You silly, silly creature," he breathed, picking the right side of his mouth up again in one of those amazing wry smiles. "Clinginess? Bella… I want nothing more than to hold you for the rest of eternity. What has given you this ludicrous idea that your feelings are not mutual? Bella, _I love you, too._"

She heard it. She registered the words in her mind. But she dared not believe them, she didn't get her hopes up, she didn't react at all. She felt her heart swell from the words, relishing in its relief after so many days of stress, but she wouldn't let her head believe it. She wasn't sure why she was pushing herself away from this simple statement that Edward had confided in her. She found herself shaking her head.

Edward laughed a little, then. But it wasn't a natural laugh; it was a laugh of nerves, of anxiousness and uncertainty. "Why are you shaking your head?"

Bella stopped abruptly and looked into the deepest parts of Edward's eyes that she could find. "I don't believe you," she stated simply.

If it were possible, Edward's face seemed to pale. "You… don't believe me?" he said slowly, as if this were some incomprehensible sentence that he was trying to make sense of. "Why? Am I… too late in revealing my love for you?"

But Bella was shaking her head again. "How could you love me?" she whispered. And now Edward laughed openly, a much more natural sound than before.

"Is that all? Bella, Christ, you gave me quite a scare there…"

She raised her eyebrows and looked at him with quiet dismay.

"It's remarkably easy to love you, Bella," Edward explained. When her skepticism did not recede, he heaved a sigh and continued in somewhat of a dry tone. "Honestly, Bella, how many men at school did you have completely wrapped around your finger? Even if you didn't realize it. There was Michael Newton," – she winced – "Lee Stephens, – who couldn't get over you ever since the fifth grade dance – Jacob Black, and myself. And _those_ were just the few that _I_ – the bottom of the social food chain – had known about."

It didn't make sense to Bella. If Edward had loved her when she had been a human, why did he wait until now to declare it? Why did he wait until there was no way they could _be_ together to tell her that he wanted her? It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all, she decided. There was no way from sun and stars that they could try to work this love thing out, now. No way at all… unless…

A wild, reckless, rash idea struck Bella. An idea that scared the living daylights out of her along with making her feel a shred of hope that their relationship could be.

"Edward…" she started in trepidation. "Turn me," she whispered.

She watched his eyes carefully, trying to read every emotion that passed through, but he was impossible to decipher. She saw his jaw clench though, and surprise flitted across his face. That had probably been the last thing he'd thought would escape her lips after his little speech.

"No." He dismissed the idea so sharply, so abruptly that Bella's mouth opened.

"Why not?" she demanded. Alice got to be a vampire now, why couldn't she?

"I will not kill you, Bella," he sighed, exasperated.

"It wouldn't be killing me! It would be making me live forever!"

"No, Bella!"

"Why not? Because you _don't_ really love me? You'd get sick of me if I was around for eternity?"

"No! Bella, listen to me! This is not a life! Not a life that I am willingly going to force you into. It's a half-life – one of sleepless nights and days, one of lurking in the shadows to prevent detection, one of draining the life force of your inferiors in order to keep yourself alive and well. It's a permanent decision – there's no undoing it once it's done – and I will not allow you to make such a regretful resolution."

Bella stared at Edward, not believing any of what he said. She was still convinced that he did not love her as much as she loved him. In fact – she was certain of it.

"Fine!" she snapped in frustration, standing to get out of the tent. She fumbled a bit with the zipper, and it got jammed on the fabric of the tent, thoroughly ruining her dramatic exit. What was more, was then Edward sidled over to the flap and unstuck the zipper with ease. Bella jerked through the door, ready to waltz away in a huff, when she walked into something rock solid. Whatever it was knocked her down so that she'd fallen straight on her bottom and she had to look up into the rain and squint her eyes to see what it was that had unbalanced her.

Alice stood over her, nostrils flared, eyes wild and a glowing scarlet red.

* * *

_All because of you, I haven't slept in so long.  
When I do I dream of drowning in the ocean;  
Longing for the shore where I can let my hair down.  
I'll follow your voice; all you have to do is shout it out!  
Inside my hands these petals browned; dried up fallen to the ground,  
But it was already too late now.  
I pushed my fingers through the earth, returned this flower to the dirt;  
so it could live, I walked away now._

The following events occured in such a flurry that Edward was not exactly sure what had happened. One moment he was letting Bella storm away in a huff because he refused to curse her to a terrible existence, and the next his vow for her to remain human had been for naught. Edward cursed himself, silently, over and over again for not paying better attention. If he hadn't been so preoccupied with Bella… if he'd been paying the attention to Alice that he should have been… this wouldn't have happened.

Bella had walked into newborn vampire Alice – also known as a walking deathtrap. Alice had awoken a thirsty, young vampire with no control – like Mike had – and Edward had let Bella _literally_ walk right into her! He shouted in alarm as he watched it happen.

The total attack had probably taken five seconds, but everything seemed painfully stretched in Edward's mind. He heard Bella's heart rate galloping and he saw Alice's nostrils flare infinitesimally at the scent of Bella's blood. It didn't take long for her instincts to kick in…

It didn't matter how fast Edward should have gone, could have gone, didn't _go_. It didn't matter in the least, because no matter how fast he moved he would not have gotten there in time.

Alice attacked almost immediately. She crouched down and Edward watched in sheer horror as Alice's teeth sunk deeply into Bella's flesh, burying the poison on her teeth into her bloodstream.

But Edward realized something else… Alice wasn't attacking to _change_ Bella. She was attacking to _kill_ Bella. She was thirsty and Bella was like a water bottle in the desert to her.

"No!" Edward shouted, barreling out of the tent at top speed and colliding with Alice's crouched body.

Poor Alice. She had no idea what she was doing as she began to beat on Edward, trying to escape his clutches.

"Alice! Alice no! Stop, Alice! She's your friend! Your best friend! _Bella!_" The name didn't seem to strike any cords with her as she continued to slash and claw at Edward's strong arms, attempting to get away.

_Thirsty… blood… smell… blood… want… thirst…_

Alice's thoughts were like a cannibalistic caveman's – hungering for human flesh and reduced to one-word sentences.

Edward picked Alice up off of the ground – her screeches for more of Bella's blood echoing throughout the forest, ironic in its peaceful silence. Edward dragged Alice over to the river and dumped her in, hoping the ice cold water would shock her out of it.

It worked like a charm.

Alice's screams of thirst and need became screams of discomfort in the middle of the flowing river.

"What are you _doing?_" she screeched, coming to her senses.

Edward didn't bother to answer her – he was still too angry with himself – but merely walked back over to where Bella lay on the ground, twitching in obvious distress.

"Bella?" he murmured, checking the place where Alice had bitten her. The blood of the wound wafted up through the short amount of space and hit him like a wrecking ball colliding with the building that it's been assigned to tear down. Edward fought his overpowering instincts and tried to keep his head. He would not kill Bella Swan. He _would not_ kill Bella Swan…

But his resolve was challenged once again as he examined the wound. It was a deep gash, and blood was flowing out of it freely and warmly in a horribly tantalizing way. The poison had already taken some impact on her body, and Bella squirmed slightly under his cool touch.

"Shh, shh, Bella. It's alright, I'm here… you're fine…" he tried to soothe her, but it was failing miserably. Not two minutes later Bella began to scream in agony.

Edward was seething as he marched across the forest floor to glare at Alice. "Do you realize what you've _done_?" he asked in a horribly condescending tone. "Your _best friend_ Alice?" he asked.

Alice wasn't even listening to him. She was examining every part of her body that she could see with great interest.

"I look so… so… _different_…" she said to no one in particular, reveling in her discovery of her new self. Edward rolled his eyes and left her to go back to Bella.

Gently as he could, Edward lifted Bella from off of the mossy, dirty forest floor and carried her back into the tent. He couldn't believe that he had allowed this to happen. He should have been paying attention… shouldn't have let Bella exit the tent… But it was too late. She was changing into one of _them_ now. And he didn't know how exactly she was going to come out of it.

Edward watched Bella writhing in agony and listened to the glass-shattering screams of utter torture that emitted her lips. And even as he watched her slowly begin to die – to transform – to feel pain beyond imagination, he couldn't help but feel a bit selfish.

For, after all, now he _would_ have Bella with him for eternity. And he hated how much he loved that idea…

* * *

Jacob was seriously beginning to reconsider his alliance with the outcast vampire. 

For one, the boy was absolutely malicious. He was intent on conspiring malevolent plans to lure Hero to them and then he'd consider a thousand different ways to viciously murder him. Yeah, Jake wanted the guy kind of… out of the picture… but he saw no need to torture him…

Another thing that put Jacob off was that he still didn't know the loner's name. That told Jacob that he didn't trust him, and why be partners with someone you didn't trust?

And, of course, there was the fact that he continued to suggest using Bella as a lure. That was what made Jacob madder than any other violent idea that the vampire had suggested. There was no way that he was willing to put Bella in any kind of danger for this – he was doing it so Bella could stay _safe_.

"It's the only way we'll get him to come to us," the boy had argued.

But Jacob was set in stone. "No. I won't endanger her."

The vampire had rolled its red eyes and continued pacing the floor.

Jacob remembered last seeing Bella with _Hero_. He felt unearned resentment for the creature, simply because Bella had chosen _it_ over _him_. He'd only known her for a few days, he knew, but she'd still chosen that mystery man over a perfectly normal guy. And so the spite was hard to shoulder; the want to clamp his wolfish jaws on the vampire's head undeniable…

Jacob was still ill at ease with this conspiracy, but he was ready all the same. Ready for the drama with this Hero character to be over. Ready for his father's unethical duties to be finished with. Ready to just lay down in his bed and pull the blankets up over his head and simply exist by himself in that cocoon of nothingness…


	19. Never A Day

Chapter Sixteen  
_Never A Day_

_Don't go standing there, blocking my view, and spoiling my night.  
You know why we're here; she's an old flame I'm trying to lay.  
And if beauty sleep can really work, she must of just woken up.  
So rub your eyes, 'cause seeing is believing._

Revenge would taste so sweet. Mike knew for a fact that it would, because he was literally going to _taste_ it. It would be impossible to resist Bella's scrumptious scent once he was so close to her, anyway. So, he figured, why not use it to his advantage? He didn't know where they were or what they were doing now, but Mike was absolutely certain that it would be easy to figure it out.

His alliance with the smelly boy had been no mistake on his part. It was not long into their plan making that he realized what a decision well made that was. The boy, Jacob Black, was a _werewolf._

The boy could shift shapes at will and he had an uncanny ability to detect vampires – probably the same way Mike could detect Jacob: by scent.

So they'd planned. And planned. And _planned_. There had been many disagreements, many arguments, and many harsh words exchanged. Jacob simply did not want to do what Mike had in mind. But it didn't matter what this… this _wolf-boy_ wanted. Mike had already planned out in his minds' eye what it was he was going to do.

It would be an ambush, of sorts. He'd swoop in, pick up Bella, make sure _Edward_ was watching as he sucked her dry, and then, while he was grieving over Bella's lifeless corpse, Mike would finish that despicable _Hero_ once and for all.

He had to admit – when he'd first been thinking about revenge so long ago in Biology class – right after Bella had dumped him – he had been thinking about things much simpler and less otherworldly than this. In fact, he'd never in a million years have considered hurting Bella before he was actually capable of it. But now… Bella was not on the top of his list of priorities. Revenge was.

Mike failed to see the irony that it was Bella he was claiming said vengeance for.

In fact, Mike failed to see a lot of things. He'd become so blinded, so _consumed_ by this vengeful hate that had coiled inside of him for so long, now, that he could see nothing but the death of Hero and what stood in his way.

And, unfortunately for her, Bella just so happened to be one of those things.

They were finally on their way – Mike followed Jacob's tail as he sniffed along the forest floor, searching for a trail that would lead them to Edward and Bella. After what seemed like hours, the monstrous wolf let out a bark, and the pair was finally on their way to dispose of Hero.

And _nothing_ could stop Mike now.

* * *

_Never a day goes by without something stopping me hard in my tracks.  
I could be happy and I'll never know it till never a day comes back.  
If words alone sound cheap when I come around you'll wanna be out.  
I want that window seat. If I'm going down I wanna see out.  
And she's happy now I'm goin' home another day another cruel reminder._

Seventy-one hours, thirty-nine minutes, and twenty-six seconds. Almost three entire days. Edward had had to listen to Bella's agonized screams of torture for nearly three days. He was at his breaking point.

When Alice had finally calmed down enough to realize what she'd done, she had disappeared from the campsite. She wasn't far, Edward could tell, because he could still hear the disgusted, ashamed thoughts that were running through her head. She _was_ upset with herself, it had just taken her time to realize what she'd done…

Edward didn't waste much time explaining to Alice, though. He had more important things to look at… like the fact that Bella was slowly and painfully dying.

Yes, he had considered sucking the venom back out of the wound, but Edward was _positive_ that if he let his lips touch anywhere near her blood that he would lose all control; all pretenses would be lost and he would suck her dry. Not to mention the small, selfish voice at the back of his head that kept telling him that this was how it was _meant_ to be. Edward… Bella… together forever…

But getting there was the hard part. When Bella screamed, it was as if he'd never heard such a terrifying sound in all his life. When she thrashed around inside the small tent, Edward actually had to restrain her from knocking the whole thing down. He sobbed and sobbed over her, telling her that he was so sorry, that this should never have happened. And when he spoke to her – ran his cold hands over her enflamed body – it was as if she could sense him there… as if she could calm down ever so slightly because she _knew_ Edward was close by…

But Edward was not prepared for the worst part. Nor would he ever be. It was when Bella opened her mouth to scream and instead blood gushed out that Edward had to leave the tent. He wanted to stay with Bella, he truly did. But he would not harm her now – not after she'd been through so much pain already. That would be a cruel death, and Bella didn't deserve it.

But now that her body was rejecting and excreting everything it did not need, Edward had to move away from her. The blood would be every where, and he wasn't sure if he could watch as her lungs and bladder failed and she soiled herself… just as _he_ had done…

Bella had watched.

Oh, yes, Edward remembered surprisingly clearly that Bella – despite her disgust in blood – had stayed by Edward's side until the doctor's announced him dead.

But this was different, he tried to convince himself. Bella wasn't _drawn_ to the smell of his _blood_. She had no desire to kill him as he spewed his own bodily fluids – his own _life_. The situation was entirely different. Bella would understand… wouldn't she?

Edward listened as the dull _thump-thump_ of her heart slowed gradually, achingly, until there was no more pulse.

He was despicably nervous as he pulled back the tent flap to enter. He was finally able to be around her without the yearning to murder her.

She was a mess, obviously. Edward sighed, ready to get to work.

Perhaps he would have felt inappropriate undressing her – taking her blood- and urine-soaked clothes and peeling them from her residual sweaty body – had he not been so nervous of her reaction when she awoke. But Edward didn't have enough emotional capacity to feel creepy about taking Bella's clothes off. Obviously he left her undergarments on out of sheer respect for her privacy, though they would need to be done away with as well when she was awake.

Gently, Edward lifted Bella from the tent floor and carried her over to the river to scrub her body of the dirty, grimy, blood that had dried all over her face and matted itself in her hair.

He couldn't help but marvel at the inhuman beauty she now possessed – not that she was not beautiful before. But the alteration seemed to have enhanced that beauty – multiplied it ten fold. The curves of her body were more pronounced and voluptuous, her lips slightly fuller and a deep, ruby-red, her skin softer, smoother, paler… she almost hurt to look at she was so perfect…

Edward couldn't help but start to feel immaculately guilty as he watched Bella's closed eyes and began to wet his hands. The water was like ice in his hands – it was saying something that he could feel it through his armor-like skin. He sighed. Cold like him. Would he ever feel warmth again?

As Edward brought his hands to Bella's brow he thought he saw her eyelids flicker – as if she were dreaming. He gazed upon her expression of peace for a moment longer before he allowed the water to spill from his hands onto her forehead, making clear trails of white through the darkened blood and dirt on her flawless complexion.

The first drop touched Bella's porcelain skin and her eyes snapped open and his question of warmth was immediately answered.

Yes he would feel warmth again. Those deep, dark, _brown_ eyes told him that he most certainly would.

* * *

_Could be a song on the radio, could be that feeling from long ago,  
Could be that accidental photo I find when I'm looking for something else,  
But I found you.  
Never a day goes by without something stopping me hard in my tracks  
I could be happy and I'll never know it._

Bella was certain that death had claimed her. She didn't know how, or why, or what had even _happened_, but she knew that she wad dead. Black… nothing… she could hardly remember her own _name_.

She felt different. Immensely so. There was a sudden power, a sudden rush of authority flooding through her. She felt… invincible. As if she could do anything in the world with her little finger. Powerful may have been an understatement for the full feeling of ability that Bella was experiencing.

She'd never felt anything _like_ it. It was as if she could crush diamonds with her bare hands, as if she could pick up an elephant without a problem, she felt _strong_.

And yet, she felt incomplete. Like something was missing. Empty inside. And she couldn't put her finger on exactly what it was that she was missing…

And suddenly she realized that the world was screaming at her! She could hear _everything._ Each little splash that the river made, every chirp that miles' worth of birds screeched, every creak the tree trunks made as they swayed in the breeze, and the sound of a gentle breathing coming from right beside her.

She kept her eyes closed, trying with all her might to block out the loud world. She couldn't do it, obviously. She couldn't just _stop_ hearing. Unless she went deaf…

Something cold and wet splattered onto her forehead, and her eyes snapped open.

Bella nearly went blind from the radiance of the world around her and the boy in front of her.

Everything was positively vivid with color! Bella had never seen anything like it! She vaguely wondered if she'd been drugged, and that's why everything felt so new to her, and why she felt unusually high… The trees were greener, the sky was… grayer… but, most importantly, Edward was so much more beautiful.

If she had thought his complexion flawless before, found his hair shiny and perfect, his eyes hypnotic and tempting; she had nothing on him now. The lines of his face ran together in one, white slab of perfect – like a sheet of paper had been replaced as his new skin. The hair that covered his head was so shiny, so full of different tones of bronze and copper that Bella had never seen before, that she couldn't even stand to think about her dull, monotone mahogany colored hair. And those eyes… they were the most entrancing things she'd ever focused on… she could _count_ the strands she saw, now, see the way the deep tinted-burgundy color bled into his pupils, signifying his blood supply, and she couldn't understand why they looked so utterly shocked.

She opened her mouth to speak, but only a rasping, hoarse sound came out. Bella hadn't realized how sore her throat was, but now she thought about it, it felt like it was utterly on _fire_. She tried to clear her throat, but it did no good. Her voice still took on the raspy-ness and her words were merely whispers.

"What's wrong, Edward?"

She watched his eyelids clamp down over his eyes and was amazed that she could _hear_ them close. He opened his eyes again, and Bella realized that he had merely blinked. But it had seemed to go so slowly…

"Your eyes…" Edward merely whispered. "They're… brown…"

Bella raised her eyebrows in confusion. "You've only just noticed?" she whispered. Edward stared at her, dumbfounded, for a moment before he sighed in realization.

"Bella… they should be _red._"

It took her a minute. She didn't understand – couldn't comprehend – at first. But then the memories came back like a floodgate had been opened.

Edward refusing to change her… storming out of the tent… bumping into the brick wall that was Alice… the minor twinge of pain in her neck… then the long days of fire that seemed to burn her from the inside out… thinking she was dead… the enhanced vision and hearing… the empty feeling… she was… was…

"… a vampire…" she finally whispered, taking note of exactly what this meant.

Edward nodded weakly. "Oh, Bella…" he suddenly moaned, curling his arms around her shoulders and burying his face in her hair. "I'm so sorry…"

Bella realized, for the first time, that she was not wearing any clothes. "Edward!" she exclaimed in the loudest rasp she could manage, trying to use her restricted arms to shield her suddenly much more ominous chest. "Where are my _clothes?!_"

She thought she felt Edward chuckle – or at least, she felt his body frame shake; he _could_ have been sobbing – before he answered. "I had to take them off of you… they were soaked in blood and… urine."

Bella felt her eyes widen in horror. She'd _wet_ herself? Like a little baby? She groaned in utter embarrassment and was incredibly surprised that she did not feel a heat creeping up her cheeks.

Oh, right, no beating heart… no blood flow… no blush. A simple enough equation…

"Oh, God…" she muttered.

"I'm sorry Bella!" Edward said into her hair. "I understand if you never want to see me again, I understand if you want me to go right up to that wolf-boy and let him _kill_ me, I'll do it! Just say it! Just say the words!"

"Edward!" she gasped, utterly shocked. "Why would I _ever_ want you to do any of those?"

The thought of Edward dying, of never seeing his face… it made her want to vomit. But… she couldn't. She would never be able to vomit again.

Not that giving up _that_ particular ability was a bad thing.

"I should have protected you," Edward was ranting, "I should have heard Alice coming near… I should have stopped her in time…"

"No! No you shouldn't have!" Bella scolded him, sitting up straighter and pushing Edward away so she could look at him properly. "Alice did to me what you wouldn't. I am perfectly okay with this, Edward. This is what I _wanted_."

Edward looked at her morosely for a moment longer before he blinked and shook his head, looking away. He didn't believe her.

She sighed – she'd have to prove it to him.

"Edward… look at me." Slowly, he turned his head in her direction. She took his face in between her hands and spoke slowly. "If I were still human now, I wouldn't be able to do this."

Before Edward could protest, she leaned forward and forced her lips onto his, tangled her hands in his bronze hair, and melded her body against his, allowing her every contour to shape to his. He was reserved at first, but she fought it, forcing his lips open and slipping her tongue in his mouth – running it over his smooth teeth, tasting him. Having him. And it was invigorating to feel Edward give in.

He put his own hands in her tangled mane and pushed her back so that she was pressed between a tree trunk and Edward. She decided then that this was where she should have been all along – where she could have been for over seven years…

She was getting caught up in the moment as their tongues battled for dominance and she felt more aware of Edward's hands running over her body. She felt like she'd been reborn; like Edward was cleansing her, ridding her of any leftover filth from Mike's greedy hands. This was so much better. There wasn't even a competition.

His breath was sweet in her mouth, and, though she could feel the burning thirst growing in the back of her throat, she felt like she had everything she'd ever need.

Bella reached down and found the hem of Edward's shirt. She lifted it over his head and tossed it away, an indescribable feeling of ecstasy overwhelming her. This was what she wanted. More than anything, ever, this was what she wanted.

Her needy lips searched for his again, and he hungrily greeted them before trailing them down her jaw, her neck, her shoulders… his hands gently untangled themselves from her hair and traced her spine, coming to a rest on the clip that was holding her bra to her body. She arced her back, ready for it, when Edward stopped up short.

His entire body went rigid and his lips broke away from hers. He looked up, suddenly, and then stood up. Bella looked at him curiously and, admittedly, disappointedly. What had she done to put him off? She tried not to pout, but she couldn't help it.

Not that he was looking at her, anyway.

No, Edward was facing the trees across the campsite. Quicker than she could blink an eye, Edward threw a bundle of clothes at Bella – clothes that were most certainly _not_ hers. They smelled of aftershave and hickory smoked beef jerky. Bella scrunched her nose up.

"What is it, Edward?" she asked sullenly. Obviously something was happening…

"Just… just put those on, alright Bella? And… if I tell you to run… _please_ do."

Cold fear blanketed Bella at his words. What would he have her running from? What was going to happen?

She quickly yanked the much-too-large clothes on and crossed to Edward's side. He was staring intently into the trees, his eyes searching. And then she heard it.

Footsteps. There were three pairs of them walking. Two were slow, heavy, and sure, and one pair was a shuffling, scurried trudge through the crunchy leaves. As if the third pair was being dragged along against its will…

And then, right before Bella's eyes, three figures appeared from the looming darkness.

The disfigured and charred Mike Newton and sullen and moody Jacob Black came into focus out of the gloom. And, to Bella's immense horror, a distraught and wild with fear Alice Cullen was being held captive between the two, a disgusting smirk covering Mike's face.

"Surprise."


	20. Hero

**1. I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to update. Truly, I am. But school was getting to me for a while, there. Luckily for you guys, though, I've been writing this chapter during History class rather than taking notes. So it's here and it's ready. XD**

**2. You should probably go check out my joint story with your vennela after this. It's called 'Apocalypse' by 'your reason'. DO IT.**

**3. This is Jacob's chapter of redemption. If anyone still hates him in this story after this chapter, you are truly heartless.**

**4. Yes, it is getting close to the end.**

**5. I just fixed all typos and re-italicized words that fanfiction didn't, so there's no _real_ update, here. XP**

Chapter Seventeen  
_Hero_

_I am so high. I can hear heaven.  
I am so high. I can hear heaven.  
Oh but heaven, no heaven don't hear me._

"Alice!" Bella screamed when she saw who held her captive: Mike – with his good hand curled around her bicep – and Jacob Black – her former friend.

"Bella, get back," she heard Edward snarl from a distance, it seemed, though he was right beside her. She did not abide. She could barely even comprehend what it was that he had ordered. She had the tunnel vision, now, and all words spoken sounded as though she was listening with cotton in her ears.

Alice looked so incredibly different and yet… she looked the _same_. Her complexion was deathly pale and her eyes burned a bright scarlet. Her already thin frame was as slight and nimble as a toothpick. But even though her eyes were sinister and her features finer, she still looked like Alice. She still had the big, childlike eyes, the thin lips, the expression that epitomized innocence.

She was looking at Bella with tortured eyes, taking in what she'd done. Bella vaguely wondered, herself, what she looked like now. Everyone who had been turned had become exceptionally beautiful – she wondered if the same held true for her.

Alice's eyes were screaming their apologies, but Bella couldn't unfreeze her muscles to shake her head. She didn't _want_ Alice to be sorry; she was happy as she was, besides the uncomfortable boiling in the back of her throat.

Bella hadn't heard any of the harsh words exchanged between Mike and Edward. She didn't hear the provoking that caused Edward to throw the first blow. Perhaps it was better that she hadn't, as she was sure that Mike had nothing consoling to say.

But she _did_ see Edward advance towards Mike with grace and agility that would have been invisible to the human eye. She saw him sink his fist into Mike's left eye. She saw Mike's hand release Alice, and she saw the two begin their lethal dance.

They separated and crouched a few yards apart and began to circle around the small clearing; counter-clockwise, lunge, dodge, clockwise… Bella stood, entranced by Edward's every movement, and every time Mike would lurch forward or feint, Bella instinctively flinched forward, ready to fight – to protect Edward. She was hardly aware of Jacob or Alice anymore. Her eyes were for only Edward…

As the circle rotated, though, Edward made eye contact with Bella. "Bella!" he roared as Mike took advantage of the distraction and made a move toward him again. "Bella, get Alice and _run_!"

The desperation in Edward's tone planted a seed of fear deep inside of Bella. He wanted her out of here – something _bad_ was going to happen. She could feel it. But now the question was what to do – who to choose?

Would she save Alice, the best friend she should have kept in the dark? Redeem herself by not allowing her friend to remain here? Or would she be selfish and stick by Edward? Join him in his fight against Mike's insanity? Would she be so self-centered to pick love over friendship?

Surely there were two kinds of love – the burning desire that came from your heart, and the swelling, compassionate love that came for friends. But, truth be told, Bella was only feeling the desire. She wanted Edward to live… possibly more than Alice. Was she truly that egotistic? Was she really going to sacrifice her friend – again – for the boy? That's not what friends did. Friends looked out for each other. Friends didn't let one another down. And wasn't Alice Bella's very _best_ friend? What kind of comrade would she be if she chose herself – her own needs, wants – over Alice?

"Bella, GO!" Edward growled again.

It was that simple command that pushed Bella over the edge. She whirled on her heel to face Jacob, who was still grasping Alice's arm.

Jacob's face was startlingly white, and his eyes were wide in shock. Bella was about to ask what was wrong when his eyes flickered from the fight behind her to her own chocolate brown ones. "Edward?" he breathed, asking her rather than confirming it for himself.

Bella felt her heart swell up and reach out to Jacob, then. She had almost forgotten that he believed Edward – his former best friend – was dead. He knew him only as the disguised "Hero", and he was not wearing his mask, now.

She swallowed her words and nodded stiffly, eyeing Jacob's reaction warily. He was, after all, a werewolf. It would be very easy for him to kill her – though something in her gut told her he wouldn't dare. She still had to be vigilant – alert for him to snap.

Jacob's eyes drifted back to the fight for a moment before he dropped Alice's arm like it was a hot coal.

"Go," he demanded at once, staring hard at Bella. "Go, Bella. Take her and get the hell out of here as fast as you can. He's crazy, Bells. He's one hundred percent insane."

Bella's jaw dropped in surprise. Jacob, the wolf boy who had recently been pursuing Hero as his quarry, was _letting her go_. More than that, he was telling her to get lost because it was _dangerous_. He was protecting her.

Maybe werewolves weren't so bad, after all.

She hesitated, her mouth agape, searching for words that would not come.

"GO!" the command was screamed at her for the second time in ten minutes.

Hesitation over. Bella grabbed Alice's wrist and spun her around, the two of them sprinting towards the edge of the woods… towards the edge of the Black property…

* * *

_And they say that a hero can save us.  
I'm not gonna stand here and wait.  
I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles.  
Watch as we all fly away._

Edward Cullen. Edward – _freaking_ – Cullen. He was alive. Well, not _really_ alive, but he was here. Walking around, thinking, alive in every sense except that his heart was not beating. Not only that, but Edward _was_ Hero.

Jacob could hardly believe it. He'd been chasing after his deceased best friend. He'd been loathing and coveting his _best_ _friend_. He was utterly disgusted with himself.

How could he not have recognized him? Besides the masked face – it was Edward! His voice was recognizable, his reserved attitude – how could it _not_ have been him?

Jacob listened to Alice and Bella's fading footsteps in the underbrush behind him.

Bella… she hadn't picked the vampire over the human… she'd picked _Edward_ over _Jacob_. His mind flew through time, remembering his first day at Forks High, nearly one month ago.

_Bella Swan's taken_, Edward had told him with a wistful air. Why hadn't he said anything that day? Why hadn't Edward instead informed Jacob of his love for Bella? And, if the attraction had been mutual, why hadn't the two of them already _been_ together?

He watched as the vampire and Edward lashed out at each other again and again, each blow fueled by more pent up emotion. Now _he_ had a choice to make.

Was Jacob's jealousy of Edward enough to leave him in battle with the crazy bloodsucker? Or was their friendship enough to cancel out the negatives? And, most importantly, _could_ Jacob _not_ kill him?

He knew he was only an asset if he was in the form of the wolf, but he also knew that he was rogue in that form. He couldn't control those instincts to kill. But if he didn't take the chance, Edward would probably die, anyway. The crazy vampire still wanted his revenge, and Jacob had _never_ seen _anyone_ so set on their goal.

Making up his mind, Jacob removed his shirt.

A bang echoed throughout the forest, and he was lost to the beast.

* * *

_Someone told me love would all save us.  
But how can that be, look what love gave us.  
A world full of killing, and blood spilling  
That world never came._

The honey-mint smell stung the beast's nostrils. It snorted, trying to stop the tingle, but nothing worked. The only way to cease the stinging would be to destroy the source of the aroma.

The beast lurched forward to join the fight. Its eyes followed the accelerated movements of the two depraved creatures with no difficulty. It set its sights on the paler one – the one with the bronze hair.

The beast's lips curled back over its long, pointy teeth and it crouched down, preparing to leap.

It watched in satisfaction as the bronze-haired vampire's eyes widened when it realized that the wolf was ganging up on him. A morbid satisfaction… the beast liked the smell of its dread…

_No_, a voice said, scolding the beast. It merely growled in response, shouldering the order without a care.

_Not Edward_, the voice pressed, more forcefully this time. And the beast snarled in protest, but turned its back on the bronze-haired vampire nonetheless.

Facing the blackened vampire now, the beast prepared its attack once again.

Using all the strength it could muster, the beast pushed off of the ground and leapt a high arc in the air, headed straight for the vampire that smelled like it had been roasted.

But as the beast lunged forward, the forest around it began to catch fire, the flames spreading rapidly and easily throughout the trees. It didn't seem to matter that the vegetation was wet with Forks' precipitation, the fire raged viciously anyway.

The beast finished its leap, crashing into the disfigured vampire, pushing its massive paws into its chest, knocking it backward. The leech looked up at it with wide, astonished, livid eyes as the wolf proceeded to attack its despicable face with its crippling teeth.

The vampire's shrieks eventually quieted, and his writhing form lay still. Once the beast was contented, he turned away from the disgusting creature to face the other.

The bronze-haired one stood defensively. The beast could smell the wariness on him. He had no reason to fear – it would not hurt him…

The wolf ducked its head down and morphed from a beast to a boy in once, fluid motion.

* * *

_And they say that a hero can save us.  
I'm not gonna stand here and wait.  
I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles.  
Watch as we all fly away._

"Edward…" Jacob Black's voice was quiet, surprised, ashamed. "Edward, I'm sorry. If I'd known… if I'd had any inkling that it was _you_… I… I would never…"

Edward held up a hand to silence his friend. "Don't apologize, please," he beseeched. "It will only make me feel worse." When Jacob threw him the confused eyes, he chuckled and elaborated. "If I hadn't been such a selfish coward, you _would_ have known…"

If he'd _remembered_ Jacob, he would have told him. He felt like he'd betrayed him; after all, Bella had told _her_ best friend…

Guilt felt like an understatement. Edward had left Jacob in the dark, stolen Bella's heart, _and_ beaten the living crap out of Jacob the first night they saw each other. And now _Jacob_ was apologizing? Well, _that_ was unfair.

Edward opened his mouth to express his regret, but the words never escaped his lips. From behind Jacob, he heard the whispered oath, the chillingly raspy voice… the voice that should be long _dead_ by now…

"_Burn… in… hell_…" Mike Newton breathed before the image of Edward's clothes catching fire, the ground around him in flames, and the enflamed tree branches above him falling over his head, trapping him against the lethal element filled his mind's eye.

There was nothing he could do. In less than a second, the world around him would go up in flames, and Edward would be no more.

He waited, almost calmly for the end to greet him. It wouldn't be a long wait, but he was fairly certain it would be painful.

As Edward watched the flames begin to rise from the ground as if it were in slow motion, he thought of one last request.

"Take care of Bella for me…" he said quietly to Jacob as the orange tongues rose higher, licking at his wrists with a dreadfully excruciating bite.

Bella… his love… his life… his existence. In that order. It was because of her that he'd had this last adventure. It was because of her that he'd become Hero. His love for her plunged deeper than the deepest trench, stretched farther than the vastest ocean. She was _why he tried_. And they'd had so little blissful time together. He supposed he should be thankful for any time at all with the exquisite creature, but he still did not want to see it end so soon… There hadn't been enough time. There would _never_ be enough time – not even eternity was enough for him.

Edward's profound thoughts were broken when an alarmingly hot body crashed into him, pushing him out of the fire's range without allowing it to catch his clothes. Edward stumbled backward and blinked in confusion.

Jacob had pushed him out of the fire; taken his place on death's list.

"Jacob!" Edward yelled, just as the flaming tree branches came crashing down over his head, pinning him to the ground where Edward should have been.

Edward rushed back forward to remove the flaming wood from overtop his friend's body, but just as he reached the perimeter of the circle of flames, another body crashed into him from his left side, knocking him down.

Edward looked up to see something that would probably haunt him for the rest of his existence – however long that was to be at this point. Mike Newton's once boyish, somewhat attractive face had already been damaged what with his unhealed burns that charred his cheeks and made them as black as coals, but now his face was positively revolting. After the attack of the werewolf, his flesh dangled by a thread in several places and bone was revealed underneath his eyes. His lips were so mangled that he could not close them, and his surreally white teeth gleamed from under the black-armor skin. The words he next spoke would have been unintelligible had Edward not been able to read minds.

"I swore I'd take my revenge… I swore it!"

Jacob was moaning in pain. He was burning… he was dying… and Mike was in the way.

Overcome with a power that he did not know he had, Edward stood from his sitting position and grabbed Mike by what was left of his short, blond hair, locking his elbow around his neck and squeezing. Mike squirmed, trying to pull himself free, but Edward felt empowered – rejuvenated. It was time to end this once and for all. Mike had had too many reprises that he did not deserve. He was done, now.

"I don't care what you've _sworn_," he hissed. "You've harmed me, my family, and my friends. Now _you're_ the one who is going to be hurting." He tugged on Mike's hair and heard a few bones in his neck pop. "You are truly vile, Mike Newton."

Edward pulled harder and Mike's scream was cut short with a loud rip. Edward's jaw clenched and he threw the decapitated body into one patch of flame and the head into another. He tried not to dwell on the lacrosse playing Mike Newton that had once ruled the hallways in high school. That Mike Newton had died a long time ago. He couldn't look back at him, now.

Instead, Edward turned his attention to removing the burning wood from on top of Jacob. He couldn't do it without burning his hands, but it was a miniscule price to pay to save a life…

Edward plunged his hands into the firewood and flung the heavy branches away from Jacob Black's lifeless body. He wasn't dead – not yet. Edward could still hear his heartbeat – but his skin was damaged beyond repair in more places than it wasn't. Edward's throat was tight as he picked Jacob up and removed him from the fire.

His body was blazing – Edward could barely stand to hold it – but he continued to carry Jacob through the woods, following the way that Bella and Alice had escaped.

Looking down upon his friend, Edward had to wonder: who was the true hero? Who had remained loyal to the end? Who had risked everything for those he loved? Who had braved even death to save his friend? Whose will was strong enough to keep a beast in check? And who had defied the requests of his father because they were wrong?

Edward felt tortured, looking down into Jacob's peaceful face – he was unconsciously awaiting the end now. Edward _knew_ that death was imminent. Jacob's heartbeat was slowing ever more with each step he took. It wasn't fair that his demise had been to save his traitor friend. It wasn't fair that he didn't get the girl in the end. It just wasn't fair.

Jacob was the true hero, Edward thought with a tight throat. Who was Edward to give himself that title when it was Jacob who deserved it?

Edward stepped onto the front yard property of the Black mansion, Jacob cradled in his arms like he was protecting a child as a grumble of thunder sounded overhead and raindrops began to drop. The sky was crying for him.

Ironic, Edward thought vaguely. Now he was all the man that his cousin Emmett was. He would never cry again. Thank God Forks could do it for him…

_Now that the world isn't ending, it's love that I'm sending to you.  
It isn't the love of a hero, and that's why I fear it won't do._

Edward set Jacob down on the cool grass gently and watched his chest rise and fall with the shallow breaths he was taking in. He heard the light footsteps approaching, but he couldn't bear to look up. A choked sound came from somewhere in front of him.

Bella.

"Wha-…" her breathing was shaky and inconsistent, as if she couldn't quite get a handle on her emotions. Edward couldn't meet her eyes, couldn't stand to look at the agony they were sure to express. An impending silence during which they listened to the decreasing heart rate, then, "He's going to be okay?" she finally whispered.

Edward shook his head, still looking down. "He saved me," he finally whispered. "That should be me…"

He heard Bella's sharp intake of breath, but did not say anything. Then she crouched down to lean over his reddened face.

The skin was stretched tight, blistered, and bloody all over. Edward watched as Bella placed her cool palm against Jacob's damaged cheek. His eyes flickered at her touch, and then they opened.

It hurt to look into them. They seemed deadened, as if he had already died and had simply come back for this final goodbye.

"Bella?" he whispered.

Her exhale was shuddering and she nodded, Edward crouched down next to her to try and apologize to his friend, and to thank him unrelentingly for saving him.

"Edward?"

"Yeah, Jake, it's me."

"I'm going Edward… I'm going… but there-"

"Don't say that, Jacob! You can fight this! You can pull through!" Bella cried, cutting him off. As much as Edward wanted to agree with her, he could see that Jacob's mind was dull… clouded… empty…

He shook his head. "No, Bella… I'm done here… but Edward… you've got to stop him… stop my dad… he's doing bad things… you've got to stop him…"

His words were slow and thick, hardly comprehensible at all. Jacob's syllables were slurring together, like he'd been drinking. But Jacob was far, far worse than drunk…

Edward had to look away as Jacob's eyes rolled back in his head and his slow heartbeat ceased altogether.

The rain pounded down on them for a minute, and then Bella let out an anguished moan.

"Goodbye, Jacob…" Edward muttered, wistfully. Suddenly, the light that Bella had brought into his dark world had gone out again.

Edward couldn't help but feel guilty – as if it were his fault that Jacob had not lived. Bella straightened up and buried her face in Edward's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and crooned in her ear, shushing her and rocking her back and forth. There was not much more he could do, as he was nearly in the same state as she was.

He wasn't sure how long they stood there, but when Bella pulled away her eyes were red-rimmed with tears, and the crystal clear droplets were cascading down her cheeks.

To say he was surprised was understating things. Vampires, as far as he knew, could not cry. He wanted to question her, but reconsidered when he looked into her fathomless brown eyes. Circumstances considered, interrogations could wait…

Instead, he wiped the trails of the tears away with his thumbs and kissed her forehead lightly.

Alice's presence was announced by her lithe footsteps, but a much heavier pair – a mechanical pair – accompanied her.

"What? You two still on my property? That good for nothing boy couldn't get rid of you?" came the cruel voice of Billy Black.

Of course this simple, derogatory question stirred excruciatingly recent waves of sadness, and fresh tears leaked from Bella's eyes, though she was silent.

Edward turned to see Billy traipsing towards them, Alice leading the way. Her thoughts were composed of things to distract her – she was trying desperately not to turn around and suck every last drop of blood from Billy Black – and then she took her place by Edward's side.

"Mr. Black," Edward said solemnly, formally addressing the good-for-nothing son of a-

_What's that he's hiding, there? Is that…?_ Billy had noticed the body behind Edward.

His eyes fell on the face of the corpse, and his face became a stone.

_And they say that a hero can save us.  
__I'm not gonna stand here and wait.  
__I'll hold onto the wings of the eagles.  
__Watch as we all fly away.  
__And they're watching us  
__As we all fly away._


	21. Author's Note

Holy crap! Has it _really_ been over a month since my last update??? It certainly does not feel that way...

I'm **SO SORRY** guys! Really, I am. I've just been so busy with school and roleplaying that I'm neglecting my story... I feel like a bad parent... XD

So, I guess I'm here to say that no, this is not an update, but **NO** I am not giving up on this story! It's my most successful so far, and I have no intentions of stopping until it's done. I just have to find time for it. Between my creative writing class, social life, and roleplay, I really have virtually _no_ time. BUT I'M NOT DONE, EITHER! I've got **HUGE** plans for the next chapter... I just need to find the time to get it onto Word...

I really am so very sorry that I've left you all hanging for so long! Junior year has just been really stressful so far...

I LOVE YOU ALL SOOO MUCH!  
--Mel


	22. Post Blue

**I'M BACK, I'M BACK, I'M BACK!**

**Yes, yes, I know you missed me. You didn't? Oh. That's too bad. Because I have a new chapterrr!**

**Just FYI – I only had time to do this because it's Christmas break. But I know you're happy anywayss. I'm pretty excited, too. I've had this in my head for so long now, I'm just ecstatic that it's finally out. I hope it comes as a surprise:)**

**Yeah. SO. I'msorryyyy that I don't update as often as I did in the summer. But it's worth the wait… right? No? **

**Eh, whatever. Here you goooooo!**

Chapter Eighteen  
_Post Blue_

_It's in the water baby,  
It's in the pills that bring you down,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in your bag of golden brown,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in your frequency,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's between you and me._

Billy Black was sitting in his extravagant living room, enjoying a glass of 1903 Merlot when movement out of the front window caught his eye. Billy's vision wasn't what it used to be, and the sky had grown dark with gathering storm clouds, so he could not tell if the shape moving across his lawn was Jacob returning home or… something else. Grumbling profanities, he stood and moved to the front door.

Upon opening said door, Billy could see that whatever was outside was not Jacob. Two slim shadows walked along the outside of the woods, talking in hushed voices that carried key phrases in the wind.

"…happening?"

"…hope…'s okay…"

"…he's fine… indestructible."

The last word grabbed Billy's attention in a chokehold. Indestructible? There were only two that Billy knew to be indestructible, and one of them was his son. The other was the enemy, and Billy had a feeling that these two were not with Jacob. He strode out across the lawn towards the two shapeless forms.

Quiet as he was, the two seemed to hear him coming and the whirled around in blatant shock. Two. One shorter than the other, though they were both below average height. One with short cropped black hair, the other with wavy brunette locks. One with red eyes, one with brown. Neither belonging here.

"I suggest," Billy said in his dangerous, gruff voice, "that you remove yourselves from my property _at once._" He watched the girls with a practiced eye. They both seemed very uncomfortable. The short one with the black hair seemed to make an unconscious movement towards Billy, but the brunette grabbed her arm in warning. There was a high pitched keening noise that the black-haired girl seemed to be making in the back of her throat. Billy just looked at her in confused disgust. "Now!" he snapped.

Neither made a movement to leave.

Instead, they both whirled their heads around to another figure exiting the woods and entering the property. The brunette turned back to the other and mumbled, "Wait here. And try to control it, Alice," before turning and disappearing to the side of the other in the blink of an eye.

The one named Alice turned her scarlet eyes upon Billy again. He had had just about enough of this nonsense.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" he demanded, just as a loud wail came from the general direction that the brunette had scampered off in. So she hadn't left yet? Billy was growing more and more aggravated with the girls by the second. What in tar nation was happening around here? Alice's face looked very shocked – sad, too. Billy had had enough. He turned on his heel and made his way over to where the other figure was standing. "Fine. If you're not going to come straight out and tell me, I'll find out for myself."

"Mr. Black!" Alice said in a high-pitched voice. "Mr. Black, you don't want to go over there!"

He ignored her.

Alice was suddenly ahead of him, walking toward the others with alarming speed.

"What?" the old man called out in his rough voice; a voice like sand paper on a chalkboard. "You two still on my property? That good for nothing boy couldn't get rid of you?"

As he came closer, he saw the brunette was crying, her cheeks shining wet in the moonlight. The other, the male that was with her was holding her close, and they stood in front of something… something long… what was it? Billy couldn't make out the shape in the darkness… but it had the distinct profile of… of…

The male had said something, but Billy hadn't even heard. He was too focused on the thing that was lying at the two's feet. It was his son.

They'd killed his most successful creation since the legs! He could feel the anger rising like bile to the back of his throat. He would need a new subject, now. A new _dog_ to do his work as he took over the nation.

"You've murdered my son?" he said in his angry voice, fingering the remote control in his pants pocket. Sighing angrily, Billy pulled the remote control out of his pocket. "I wasn't planning on using this yet, but you've left me no choice."

And with that, he pushed one of the many buttons on the small black box.

* * *

_It's in the water baby,  
It's in the pills that pick you up,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in the special way we fuck,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in your family tree,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's between you and me.  
Bite the hand that feeds,  
Tap the vein that bleeds  
Down on my bended knees..  
I'd break the back of love for you_

It seemed like time was moving in slow motion as the red plastic button sank into the control box and then sprang back up. Billy had an awful, cynical kind of smirk spread across his face, and it infuriated Edward. He didn't seem to care at all that Jacob's heart had stopped beating. He didn't seem to give a damn that his son was never going to smile up at him again with that broad smile that seemed to spread happiness like it was an infection. He didn't care one bit.

Edward snarled as a high-pitched _beeeeee_ came from the remote control, waiting for whatever was going to happen to happen. He didn't know what it was supposed to do, but he was sure it wasn't good. It was, after all, the remote that Jacob had warned him about. The remote that would do bad things. So Edward practically threw Bella behind him in one, fluid motion, and faced the beeping, black box head on.

A moment went by, and nothing happened. Billy's complacent expression was slowly replaced by one of anxious worry. His thoughts were racing.

_Why isn't it working…? It's supposed to – _But even as he thought it, a stream of electricity extended from the small, plastic controller and made a beeline for Edward.

Almost reflexively, Edward grabbed Bella's and Alice's wrists and leaped to the left. The beam of concentrated lightening shot off into darkness for a while before it hit a tree. The tree burst into flame.

Edward looked back to Billy, whose cruel expression had returned. Edward had never wanted to hurt anyone more in his entire existence. He pushed Bella and Alice towards the general direction of the front gate, yelling for them to run.

"Don't worry about me," he called when they hesitated. "Just get yourselves _out!_"

Neither of them moved.

"I'm not leaving you by yourself again," Bella said stubbornly, her cheeks still stained with tears.

"Neither am I," Alice insisted, but her voice was shaking. Clearly she was still scared.

Edward growled and dodged another beam of electricity. He watched it fly past him and his mouth dropped in horror when it hit Jacob's corpse. As if the poor guy hadn't had enough happen to him tonight. Now his body was about to be incarcerated. But it took Edward by pleasant surprise when the russet body did not turn into a human bonfire. He turned his attention back to the continuous lightening beams being aimed at his head.

Edward maneuvered himself agilely and gracefully as he discreetly got closer to Billy and his damned remote control. He felt like an acrobat in the circus, cartwheeling away from the hazardous beams of electricity, somersaulting through the air… it reminded him of a memory he'd long forgotten.

It had been years and years ago with his mother and father. They'd been on a vacation all the way in Florida. His father had bought tickets to the Barnum and Bailey circus. Edward could almost remember the elephants and the clowns, the lion and the tamer… the ring of fire.

Fire that had burned his parents to nothing more than a pile of ash. Fire that had been Mike Newton's obsession and later his specialty. Fire that had murdered Jacob. Fire that sparked inside of Edward.

With unknown passion, Edward let out a yell, getting dangerously close to a beam of lightening. Billy looked at him in shock and he took the moment to snatch the murderous device out of his gnarled, old hands. And now it was Edward's turn to be shocked. He'd won. He'd gotten the remote from Billy, and he'd won. It had all happened so fast, he hadn't even realized it. But he'd _won._

It only took Billy a moment to recuperate, though, and he reached out and tried to grab the controller from Edward's iron grip. A disagreement occurred and the two struggled over the thing, Billy trying to reclaim it but not break it, and Edward trying not to get zapped. Somehow in the struggle, though, the red button was accidentally pressed.

Not wanting to be electrocuted and then burst into flame, Edward jumped back, foolishly letting Billy have control of the weapon. But Billy had not been prepared. He looked at Edward in triumph for a minute before a white ray of danger escaped the little remote… aimed at Billy.

The electricity entered at his false knees, and Billy seemed to illuminate in the darkness as the electricity spread through his body. He opened his mouth to let out a scream, but none came. In fact, it seemed like everything was completely silent for the duration of the electrocution. The air was still, no wildlife made a sound… there was only the dying man. Then…

"Dad?"

Edward felt the air whoosh out of him as he whirled on his heel to look at the speaker… the impossible had happened.

Jacob had been resurrected.

He was lying on his back, looking over to his father's incandescent body as it rose upward and shot backward, ten feet, before landing in a crumpled heap.

The remote control bounced away from his limp hand.

* * *

_It's in the water baby,  
It's in the pills that bring you down,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in your bag of golden brown,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in your frequency,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's between you and me._

Floating… like on a cloud. It was a nice change. There was no more pain, no more feeling, no more anything. It was like a deep, dreamless sleep. The kind where you wake up feeling more rested than you ever have in your entire life. It was nice. I didn't have to worry about what my dad was going to ask me to do next, or what had happened to Bella or Edward. I just didn't have to think. I _could_ think, if I wanted to. But why do that? Why torture myself like that? I'd just end up thinking about Bella and how much I wanted to be with her, to see her smile, feel her soft hands… smell her strawberry shampoo…

So why think when I could just lay here like I was doing?

It was so comfortable for a while. I felt completely numb to the burns on my skin, the wolf wasn't trying to take over my head anymore… I could just kick back and relax. But then, it all came back.

Something hit me, I don't know what. But I got hit. And it was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. It shot through my back, cutting through me like an arrow. Whatever had happened - whatever had hit me... it must have restarted my heart. And I could feel the genes that my father had injected into me start working... start _healing_ me.

I groaned and winced at the pain, and for the first time in a little while… _I breathed._

_

* * *

_

_Bite the hand that feeds,  
Tap the vein that bleeds  
Down on my bended knees.  
I'd break the back of love for you._

Edward was so focused on the remote control – the damned device that had ruined _everything_ – that he didn't hear what Bella heard. It was almost too painful to believe; she almost didn't want to get her hopes up, but the slow, deliberate heartbeat was unmistakable.

_Jacob was alive_.

Excitement coursed through Bella and she looked over to where the seemingly lifeless body of Jacob lay. She saw the distinct movements of inhaling and exhaling from his chest.

It was almost impossible to hold back her squeal of delight, and just as she was about to run to his side, something happened.

For some reason, Billy was radiantly hovering from the ground and then shooting backwards – as if he'd gotten shot out of a cannon. Bella watched his form crumple to the ground in horror as Jacob called out: "Dad?"

Her heart ached for him. Son watching father die. Bella knew that no matter how bad the terms Jacob and his father had been on, he didn't want to watch him die.

She watched with tears brimming behind her lashes as Jacob shakily stood up and staggered towards his father. Edward watched, his mouth agape, eyes shocked. She couldn't blame him – it _was_ downright impossible to come back from the dead. Then again… they _were_ vampires… That was supposed to be impossible, too.

She watched with sadness in her eyes and heart as Jacob continued to advance towards his father. Finally reaching his side, Jacob sank weakly to his knees.

"Dad?"

There was silence for a minute. Bella watched the electronic legs twitch in that minute before, finally, remaining still.

Billy Black took a shuddering breath.

"Jacob?"

"Dad… oh, God, Dad…"

"Jacob, what's going on? What happened? Why aren't we inside?"

Bella noticed that tears were streaming down Jacob's face now. "You… you don't remember anything, do you?"

There was silence for a minute as Billy contemplated the question. "The last thing I remember," he said at last, "was that I was about to go under the knife to try out the prototype for the legs I was designing…"

"Oh, God, Dad…"

"Did something go wrong?"

Jacob nodded. "Very wrong."

"What?"

Now Jacob shook his head. "Y-y-you don't even want to know, Dad."

A hand found Bella's, and she looked to her right. Edward was watching the display with a very grim face. The outcome was not going to be good. Alice came over to Bella's left and she looped her arm through her friend's. The three stood there like strangers butting in on a family reunion – which was essentially what this was.

"J-Jake… I don't feel so good."

"…No, Dad. You're not doing too good."

Billy pursed his lips in pain and nodded in understanding. He may not of known how it had happened, or why it was happening, but he was smart enough to know that he wasn't going to make it. That he was dying.

"Well… I love you, son. And I'm proud of you. You know Sam's gonna take care of you, now…"

Sam Uley – Jacob's dead godfather.

"…and stay in school…"

He could never go back.

"…and I love you."

Jacob didn't say anything to the first two. Just, "I love you, too, Dad."

A flash of lightening lit up the sky just as Billy's head fell back on the soft earth, and a loud crack of thunder acted as a censor when Jacob cursed at the top of his lungs into the sky.

Bella looked down at her feet in respect.

When she looked up, Jacob had come to stand in front of the trio.

"I need to talk to you all."

And, by the fierce look in his eyes, Bella could tell that it was not going to be a happy conversation.


	23. So Sorry

First of all, let me start off by saying I am SO sorry. No, I have not died or dropped of the face of the Earth, and no, I haven't decided to quit this story OR 'What Would The Neighbor's Think?' Things have just been so stressful.

The thing is, this is my junior year of high school. Between honors classes, college visits, extracurricular activities, work, chemistry, homework, and trying to find some sort of life in between all of that, I haven't had time to write. Nor, to be honest, the motivation. I was all 'Twilighted out' for a while there. But I'm rereading the series, and getting right back into it. School is done in a week and a half, and I promise that I will update. If I don't, feel free to come track me down.

If any of you are still reading or watching or not hating me, hang in there. I love you guys. You rock my world.


	24. Some Changes

Sigh...so. Here's the thing.

I want to finish this story. So much. I am _going_ to finish this story. But, in order to do such, I have to change chapter eighteen. I have to change 'Post Blue'. I really wanted to keep Jake alive, as I'm a big Jacob lover (though I'm Team Edward. I still love that big lug!). But if I want this story to work...I have to -sob- get rid of him.

So I am going to change that now. And try to finish this story _soon_.

I bet you all hate me.

I'm sorry.


	25. THE NEW Post Blue

**THIS IS DIFFERENT. I would re-read it.**

Chapter Eighteen  
_Post Blue_

_It's in the water baby,  
It's in the pills that bring you down,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in your bag of golden brown,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in your frequency,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's between you and me._

Billy Black was sitting in his extravagant living room, enjoying a glass of 1903 Merlot when movement out of the front window caught his eye. Billy's vision wasn't what it used to be, and the sky had grown dark with gathering storm clouds, so he could not tell if the shape moving across his lawn was Jacob returning home or… something else. Grumbling profanities, he stood and moved to the front door.

Upon opening said door, Billy could see that whatever was outside was not Jacob. Two slim shadows walked along the outside of the woods, talking in hushed voices that carried key phrases in the wind.

"…happening?"

"…hope…'s okay…"

"…he's fine… indestructible."

The last word grabbed Billy's attention in a chokehold. Indestructible? There were only two that Billy knew to be indestructible, and one of them was his son. The other was the enemy, and Billy had a feeling that these two were not with Jacob. He strode out across the lawn towards the two shapeless forms.

Quiet as he was, the two seemed to hear him coming and the whirled around in blatant shock. Two. One shorter than the other, though they were both below average height. One with short cropped black hair, the other with wavy brunette locks. One with red eyes, one with brown. Neither belonging here.

"I suggest," Billy said in his dangerous, gruff voice, "that you remove yourselves from my property _at once._" He watched the girls with a practiced eye. They both seemed very uncomfortable. The short one with the black hair seemed to make an unconscious movement towards Billy, but the brunette grabbed her arm in warning. There was a high pitched keening noise that the black-haired girl seemed to be making in the back of her throat. Billy just looked at her in confused disgust. "Now!" he snapped.

Neither made a movement to leave.

Instead, they both whirled their heads around to another figure exiting the woods and entering the property. The brunette turned back to the other and mumbled, "Wait here. And try to control it, Alice," before turning and disappearing to the side of the other in the blink of an eye.

The one named Alice turned her scarlet eyes upon Billy again. He had had just about enough of this nonsense.

"What the _hell_ is going on?" he demanded, just as a loud wail came from the general direction that the brunette had scampered off in. So she hadn't left yet? Billy was growing more and more aggravated with the girls by the second. What in tar nation was happening around here? Alice's face looked very shocked – sad, too. Billy had had enough. He turned on his heel and made his way over to where the other figure was standing. "Fine. If you're not going to come straight out and tell me, I'll find out for myself."

"Mr. Black!" Alice said in a high-pitched voice. "Mr. Black, you don't want to go over there!"

He ignored her.

Alice was suddenly ahead of him, walking toward the others with alarming speed.

"What?" the old man called out in his rough voice; a voice like sand paper on a chalkboard. "You two still on my property? That good for nothing boy couldn't get rid of you?"

As he came closer, he saw the brunette was crying, her cheeks shining wet in the moonlight. The other, the male that was with her was holding her close, and they stood in front of something… something long… what was it? Billy couldn't make out the shape in the darkness… but it had the distinct profile of… of…

The male had said something, but Billy hadn't even heard. He was too focused on the thing that was lying at the two's feet. It was his son.

They'd killed his most successful creation since the legs! He could feel the anger rising like bile to the back of his throat. He would need a new subject, now. A new _dog_ to do his work as he took over the nation.

"You've murdered my son?" he said in his angry voice, fingering the remote control in his pants pocket. Sighing angrily, Billy pulled the remote control out of his pocket. "I wasn't planning on using this yet, but you've left me no choice."

And with that, he pushed one of the many buttons on the small black box.

_It's in the water baby,  
It's in the pills that pick you up,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in the special way we fuck,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in your family tree,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's between you and me.  
Bite the hand that feeds,  
Tap the vein that bleeds  
Down on my bended knees..  
I'd break the back of love for you_

It seemed like time was moving in slow motion as the red plastic button sank into the control box and then sprang back up. Billy had an awful, cynical kind of smirk spread across his face, and it infuriated Edward. He didn't seem to care at all that Jacob's heart had stopped beating. He didn't seem to give a damn that his son was never going to smile up at him again with that broad smile that seemed to spread happiness like it was an infection. He didn't care one bit.

Edward snarled as a high-pitched _beeeeee_ came from the remote control, waiting for whatever was going to happen to happen. He didn't know what it was supposed to do, but he was sure it wasn't good. It was, after all, the remote that Jacob had warned him about. The remote that would do bad things. So Edward practically threw Bella behind him in one, fluid motion, and faced the beeping, black box head on.

A moment went by, and nothing happened. Billy's complacent expression was slowly replaced by one of anxious worry. His thoughts were racing.

_Why isn't it working…? It's supposed to – _But even as he thought it, a stream of electricity extended from the small, plastic controller and made a beeline for Edward.

Almost reflexively, Edward grabbed Bella's and Alice's wrists and leaped to the left. The beam of concentrated lightening shot off into darkness for a while before it hit a tree. The tree burst into flame.

Edward looked back to Billy, whose cruel expression had returned. Edward had never wanted to hurt anyone more in his entire existence. He pushed Bella and Alice towards the general direction of the front gate, yelling for them to run.

"Don't worry about me," he called when they hesitated. "Just get yourselves _out!_"

Neither of them moved.

"I'm not leaving you by yourself again," Bella said stubbornly, her cheeks still stained with tears.

"Neither am I," Alice insisted, but her voice was shaking. Clearly she was still scared.

Edward growled and dodged another beam of electricity. He turned his attention back to the continuous lightening beams being aimed at his head.

Edward maneuvered himself agilely and gracefully as he discreetly got closer to Billy and his damned remote control. He felt like an acrobat in the circus, cartwheeling away from the hazardous beams of electricity, somersaulting through the air… it reminded him of a memory he'd long forgotten.

It had been years and years ago with his mother and father. They'd been on a vacation all the way in Florida. His father had bought tickets to the Barnum and Bailey circus. Edward could almost remember the elephants and the clowns, the lion and the tamer… the ring of fire.

Fire that had burned his parents to nothing more than a pile of ash. Fire that had been Mike Newton's obsession and later his specialty. Fire that had murdered Jacob. Fire that sparked inside of Edward.

With unknown passion, Edward let out a yell, getting dangerously close to a beam of lightening. Billy looked at him in shock and he took the moment to snatch the murderous device out of his gnarled, old hands. And now it was Edward's turn to be shocked. He'd won. He'd gotten the remote from Billy, and he'd won. It had all happened so fast, he hadn't even realized it. But he'd _won._

It only took Billy a moment to recuperate, though, and he reached out and tried to grab the controller from Edward's iron grip. A disagreement occurred and the two struggled over the thing, Billy trying to reclaim it but not break it, and Edward trying not to get zapped. Somehow in the struggle, though, the red button was accidentally pressed.

Not wanting to be electrocuted and then burst into flame, Edward jumped back, foolishly letting Billy have control of the weapon. But Billy had not been prepared. He looked at Edward in triumph for a minute before a white ray of danger escaped the little remote… aimed at Billy.

The electricity entered at his false knees, and Billy seemed to illuminate in the darkness as the electricity spread through his body. He opened his mouth to let out a scream, but none came. In fact, it seemed like everything was completely silent for the duration of the electrocution. The air was still, no wildlife made a sound… there was only the dying man. Then…

The remote control bounced away from his limp hand.

_It's in the water baby,  
It's in the pills that bring you down,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in your bag of golden brown,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's in your frequency,  
It's in the water baby,  
It's between you and me._

It was a battleground. A war field. A sickening display of violence. Bella was sure she would have been nauseated by all the death that had unfolded today were she still able to feel such things as queasiness. The newspapers would be going on about it for days, she was sure. Not only were she and Alice now technically dead, but this brilliant mind was a dulling light. His son… Bella felt the familiar prickle of tears tingling the back of her eyes. Jacob. Oh, Jacob…

Refusing to look over at the heap that represented his body, Bella instead walked to Billy's side. She was there in a flash with her vampire speed, looking down into the mad, rolling eyes of this genius…

Except that his eyes were no longer rolling madly. Instead, he looked up with a calm acceptance that told Bella he knew he was dying. He knew. His deep, brown eyes stared into the rainfall, and she wondered what he was thinking. She looked over to Edward, who seemed stunned, and asked the silent question. He did not answer. Instead, he joined Bella at Billy's side, crouching down and taking his hand as if to let him know he was there.

There was silence for a minute. Bella watched the electronic legs twitch before, finally, remaining still. Billy Black took a shuddering breath.

"Wh-what's happened? Jacob?" Still he looked to the sky. His eyes were so dull and lifeless that Bella wondered if he had been blinded. A trickle of blood ran down from the corner of his mouth.

The look upon Edward's face was one of sheer agony, and Bella wanted nothing more than to remove it. She looked at him, her eyes questioning his intentions. He stared back at her, the remorse more obvious than ever. Then he opened his mouth and said, "I'm here, Dad."

His voice was the perfect tone of Jacob's.

"Jacob, what's going on? What happened? Why aren't we inside?"

"You… you don't remember anything, do you?"

There was silence for a minute as Billy contemplated the question. "The last thing I remember," he said at last, "was that I was about to go under the knife to try out the prototype for the legs I was designing…"

"Oh, God…"

"Did something go wrong?"

Edward closed his eyes and Bella reached out to place her hand on his cheek. He tilted his head into her hand and his face twisted in guilt. "Very wrong."

"What?"

"You don't even want to know."

"J-Jake… I don't feel so good."

It was now that Bella could take no more. She allowed the dam to break and the tears to spill from her eyes. Edward swallowed hard before he said, "No, Dad. You're not doing too good."

She couldn't help but wonder how Edward could do this. How Edward could impersonate Jacob while his body rested so close by. How he could bear to call this man that was so clearly _not_ his father 'Dad' when his own flesh and blood father had died not two months ago. It had to be killing him, too. She wished there were something she could do to make that pain stop. But she could not resurrect the dead.

"Well… I love you, son. And I'm proud of you. I love you."

The pain in Edward's eyes flared to an intensity that made Bella hurt before he softly said, "I love you, too, Dad."

A flash of lightening lit up the sky just as Billy's head fell back on the soft earth.


	26. Goodbye to You

Hello, anyone who's reading.

I have come to say an official farewell. Twilight Fanfiction was my world for a good amount of time. I gathered fans and readers and a lot of positive feedback, and it was an eye opener for me. Because of this website and Twilight in general, I know now that I want to be a writer. In the fall, I will be attending Susquehanna University as a creative writing major - pursuing my dreams, something I never thought I'd end up doing. There will always, always be a special place in my heart for Twilight, but it's been time to move on...for a long time. I will not be completing Hero or What Would the Neighbors Think? because I do not have enough interest in them anymore. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and everyone has been incredibly kind. My sincerest thanks to all of you - without your eager reviews, who knows where I'd be? I will still read fanfiction and review your stories, but updating (as you may have noticed) will not be happening anymore.

If you are ever in the mood to say hello or even if you liked my writing enough (which is hard to believe, haha. Looking back on these stories is a trip - they're _absurd!_) I ask you to swing by my FictionPress account or my Mibba account. If you get to know me, I may even offer my MySpace URL. For now, though, I ask you look at my bio for the links to the websites where I will post my original works.

Thank you again, everyone. It's been so fun.

I adore you all,  
Mel.


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